A Distorted Reflection
by RubyRoy87
Summary: She saw in the mirror what she wanted to see.
1. Chapter 1

_The click of her heels echoed across the empty alley as she ran. _

_The evening had already swallowed the corners and was descending fast to shroud the whole pathway under its ghostly haze. A dim light bulb was trying to make its last stand against the invading darkness but it only added to the ghostly surrealism. The vestiges of daylight gave the dull red brick walls a parting caress. It was eerily beautiful. _

_But she did not notice it. She was too busy. She was running for her life. The muscles of her chest were close to having a spasm as she heaved for breath. Sweat made its way down on her back in a steady stream under her business suit. _

_She screeched to a halt as a hooded figure jumped out in front of her. She stepped back a few paces instinctively. The figure stepped towards her. The narrow stream of light from the bulb shone on the figure's face. The sudden glimpse of the figure's familiar face shocked her and she froze._

"_You? What the hell are you doing here?" She gasped. _

_The figure in front of her didn't answer. She saw the person pull out the weapon._

"_You're not actually going to do that to me… Oh God, no!" She turned around and started to run towards the main road. She was too late._

_She yelped in pain as a crowbar whacked across her back. When she fell on her stomach, she was wheezing. She clutched at the rough ground with her bleeding palms and tried to sit up. She turned around and looked up the barrel of the silencer attached to the gun. _

_She was speechless. She couldn't find her voice, not even to beg for her dear life. She closed her eyes tightly. The silence rang loud in her ears._

_A muffled pop broke the silence. A frightened pigeon left its comfortable abode in between two loose bricks on the wall and took flight noisily._

_The figure stood over the lifeless body for a few minutes before stooping down and picking up her purse._

_No one except the pigeon witnessed the loss of yet another life on New York streets. The alley was now empty. Deep red blood poured from her forehead, gushed down over her face and neck and seeped into the beige business suit in obedience to the laws of gravity. The woman lay lifeless on the cold stone ground, waiting to be added as a number on the day's crime statistics chart._

_The city continued to bustle busily a few feet away from the belly of the meandering alley. _

(….)

"Come on, Kate!" He whined.

"No, Castle."

"It'll be fun!" He loudly argued his case while leaning back on his swiveling chair.

"I don't have time for fun."

"We don't have a case…"

"Well, _I _have paperwork."

"You can do that tomorrow… It's _'Serenity'_! How cool is that?" He exclaimed in a childlike glee.

"I've already watched it once."

"And?" Castle leaned forward expectantly.

"It is… okay, I guess!" She scrunched up her nose a tiny bit in an attempt to hide her smile.

"_Okay_? It's _okay_? That's all you've got to say? Katherine Beckett, this is blasphemy! 'Serenity' is WOW! There isn't anyone who loves Sci Fi and hasn't seen 'Serenity'." He paused in his rant for a moment and ran his hand through his hair, pretending indignation. "Besides, the hero looks just like me! It's like looking into a mirror… I see my younger self in him." He threw a lopsided grin at her direction.

Kate Beckett rolled her eyes in her trademark fashion. "Maybe that's why I don't want to see it again."

"Afraid that you wouldn't be able to control yourself?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Do I really need to control myself?" She flirted shamelessly. The look on Castle's face was priceless. She grinned internally. "I'm tired of seeing your face all the time, Castle. I watch movies to _relax._ I don't want to watch a movie in which the hero looks like you!" Kate mock shuddered.

"Now that's…."

Castle was cut short by the ringing desk phone. She groaned before answering the phone.

"Beckett. Yes. Where? Okay, we'll be there in ten." She replaced the receiver noisily. It's not that she hated her job but the past few days had been grueling. She was tired. In spite of what she said earlier, she was indeed looking forward to the movie and some snuggling time with him. _Twenty minutes later and she'd have been off duty._ She closed her eyes while she silently ordered her brain into the cop mode.

"And there goes our movie plans," Castle sighed.

"You can go home if you want. It's late anyway. Do you really wanna come?" She crossed her fingers behind her back. She wanted Castle to say yes. She needed Castle there with her at the end of this tiring day. _Whoa girl, slow down! You're dating him for two weeks! When did you start needing Castle for anything?_

"Are you kidding? Movie can wait. Murder can't." Castle stood up and threw his jacket over his shoulders.

"Okay then, let's go."

(…..)

They ducked under the yellow tape to enter the crime scene.

"You said a woman was murdered here?" Castle asked Beckett.

"Yeah."

"What was a woman doing in this alley?"

"Don't know, Castle. Gotta find out…"

"Anyone who walks into such a creepy alley must be crazy!" He shuddered.

"You're walking into the alley right now, Rick." She deadpanned.

"Yeah, anyone except cops…"

"You're not a cop either." She grinned.

Rick Castle pouted. However, before he could come up with a smart retort, Lanie intercepted them.

"Hey Lanie, what've we got here?" Beckett called out while walking into the dingy alley, her boyfriend-cum-partner in tow.

"Looks like your garden variety of pop-n-drop." The ME answered.

"Can we start from the beginning?" The detective asked her friend and colleague rather impatiently.

"My! Someone is in a hurry today… You two have plans for later?" She stopped when she got a glare from Beckett. She started again, "Victim is female, Caucasian, age between forty and forty-five. COD is a single GSW right between the eyes. The gun was a large caliber. There's blood splatter everywhere. Victim was trying to run out of the alley when she probably fell. The killer caught up with her and shot her. Judging by the lividity and body temperature, I'd say she was killed sometime between four and seven in the evening. Could've been a robbery gone wrong… purse and cell phone are missing. No I.D… probably gone with the purse. "

"I don't think it's robbery… Shooting between the eye… It's so…." Castle trailed off.

"Don't say mafia, Sherlock!" Beckett warned, only half-jokingly.

"No, I'm just saying that the killer probably knew the victim."

Both the women looked at him enquiringly. Castle elaborated, "Shooting between the eyes? That needs precision. A robber is not that precise… He's just aiming to get away with the goods… He wouldn't care. You know who'll be precise enough to shoot in between the eye? Someone with vengeance; someone who wants to punish the victim."

"All good theories, Castle," Beckett shrugged.

"You know… Your Writer Boy could be right." Lanie was thoughtful. "The woman's ring and necklace are intact."

_Your Writer Boy… _She liked the sound of that_… _"Anyway, can we see the body?"

"Be my guest." Lanie pointed farther into the alley with her hand.

Castle and Beckett walked further into the creepy alley. The darkness was broken by flashlights and the faint hint of blue lights from the police cruisers on the main road. After walking a short distance, the body came into view.

Kate gasped and froze instantly.

A woman in her early forties lay broken in the alley in her own pool of blood. The front of her beige suit was red. Her brown hair was matted with blood.

A strong sick sense of déjà vu hit her and she struggled to breathe. She swayed on her feet.

Castle was beside her in a flash and he held her steady. "Kate… You okay?" _Shit! Why hadn't Lanie warned them?_

Kate silently nodded, fighting the nausea that churned through her guts. _Breathe, Kate Beckett…breathe. She's not your mother. Breathe…_ She kept repeating this to herself in the way her psychiatrist had instructed her more than a decade ago.

"Easy, Kate… Easy… You've got this… you've got this…" Castle kept murmuring in an attempt to soothe her.

It worked.

She steadied herself. She took in another deep breath, straightened her back and walked towards the body.

Soon, they were joined by two other detectives. They slowed down as they took in the sight in front of them. One look at Kate's face and it wasn't hard to guess the situation. They looked at Castle who shrugged helplessly in response. They shifted their concerned look to Beckett. It only irritated her.

"Ryan, Esposito, what've you got?" She called out rather loudly.

"Nothing useful. People claimed they heard and saw nothing," Esposito answered.

"This _is _New York. You know the people… they see no evil, hear no evil," Ryan commented.

Beckett sighed. "Well, there should be surveillance cameras on the street. Get hold of the footage. Let's see if the CSU finds anything from the sweep."

"On it!" The two detectives hesitated before they left.

Beckett stood silently in the middle of the alley, staring at the corpse.

Suddenly a commotion sounded and a brown haired girl, about eighteen, rushed forward through the sparse crowd. "Mom! Oh my God! Mom!" she shrieked in horror. As a uniform approached to stop her from crossing the tape, she shot forward and cursed the man. "Don't try to stop me! That's my mom, damn you!" The uniform looked on, helplessly.

"Oh my God! Mom! Mom!" She collapsed on her knees beside the dead woman.

Castle hesitated for a brief moment before stepping forward and placed a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. He looked back at Kate.

The detective couldn't help herself. For the first time in her life, she lost it at a crime scene.

Detective Katherine Beckett cried.

_A/N: I'm back with another mystery. Unlike my previous one (where Caskett were married), they've only just started dating in this story. _

_Unlike the previous story where I was uploading 2 chapters each day, this is going to be slow because I'm back to work. I know I said that I would be back after Nov. 13 but I couldn't stay away :P _

_I've already written the second chapter and have the entire plot outlined :) but I'll write more only if you read. Please let me know, friends!_

**_Disclaimer: I'd love to claim that I wrote the script of "Eyes of the Beholder"... or any other episode, for that matter. Can't! :( _**


	2. Chapter 2

Beckett stood in front of the break room, composing herself.

Thirteen years… It had been thirteen years since that fateful day. She still remembered every moment of it. Every time she crossed the yellow tape, she was reminded of the pain, the suffering and the bleak days that would soon befall the victim's family. Usually the experience helped her to be a better cop… it made her a detective determined to bring closure to those hapless people. But this was different. These were not some past memories egging her on to do her job with perfection… These were _those_ moments that had faded into the remote corners of her conscience and had become bearable over time. Now they were returning to her with renewed vengeance, fresh and in harsh, blinding colors. These were the memories that could potentially drag her back into the bottomless abyss of despair and leave her in the pits of hell to rot.

Kate blinked, trying not to give away her inner turmoil. She _had to _detach herself from the case. One emotional slip-up and Gates would take her off the case. She couldn't afford that. This was _her_ case.

Julie Summers, the daughter of the victim, was sitting on the couch inside the break room in stony silence. She was staring off into space with vacant eyes. The mug of coffee that Castle had offered her half an hour ago was sitting on the table in front of her, cold and untouched.

Castle stood beside Kate, watching her silently as she watched Julie. He knew that Kate Beckett was shaken.

The victim was Johanna Summers, a 42 year old Social Worker. She had been murdered in the alley and had been identified by her nineteen year old daughter.

It was like fate was playing a game with Kate… A painfully cruel game.

Castle needed to break the stifling silence. "Hey, you alright?"

"Yeah. It's just..." Beckett trailed off.

"Hmmm?" Castle prodded. Kate was never good at expressing her thoughts but she really needed to get this off her chest.

"It's just this feeling, Rick… like I'm looking at my reflection… my younger self…"

They were the same words that Castle himself had used a couple of hours earlier, in a completely different set up. The irony was not lost on him.

"Kate… she's not you."

"I know, Rick…" She replied slowly. "But she's going through the same thing I went through… Her life's ruined." _Just like me…_ Castle heard the part that was left unsaid. He didn't know what to say. It pained him.

"Do you want me to sit this one out?" He asked. She'd probably want to do this alone.

"No… I want you in there with me." Kate replied, surprising herself.

"Okay then." _Kate wanted him there. At least, she had not shut him out this time. That was a start._

Julie Summers looked up when the door opened. Her dark brown eyes were red-rimmed.

"Hello Julie, I'm Detective Kate Beckett. This is Richard Castle, my partner."

The introduction made Castle dizzy. Nowadays, Beckett always introduced him as her partner instead of "consultant"… and now, she was dating him, officially… However, now was not the time to dwell on it. One of the women in the room was suffering from a breakdown… The other was bordering on one.

"Who shot my mother?" Julie's voice was subdued, almost to the point of inaudibility.

"That's what we're working to find out. We need your help. I know you're hurt but... Can you answer a few questions?"

Julie nodded.

"Julie, what did Joh… Johanna Summers do for a living?" Kate bit her lip, admonishing herself for the momentary, almost emotional slip-up.

"She worked as a social worker."

"Did you notice anything unusual these days?"

"No…. although she was always working these days… but that's not very unusual. She always worked hard… especially since Dad died in an accident seven years back."

_Oh God, this girl was now an orphan…_

"What do you do, Julie?"

"I graduated from high school last year. I work at a convenience store."

"What were you doing near the alley?"

"I was supposed to meet my mom at the pizzeria across the street…" Kate winced. _Fate was indeed hell bent on breaking her._ Julie didn't notice. "I got off work at six but was supposed to meet her at eight. So I wandered along the streets. I love doing it… When I reached the pizzeria, she wasn't there. It was odd. She always reached ahead of time… I waited outside… That's when I saw the police cars. I got over there out of curiosity and then…" She trailed off.

Castle joined the questioning, "Julie, you said the two of you were supposed to meet at eight. The M.E says the time of death is between four and seven. Do you have any idea what she could be doing there so early?"

"She used to work two blocks away."

Kate sighed. "Julie… I know this is hard for you to answer but… was there anyone who wanted her dead?"

"Of course!" Julie's voice was sharp in an instant. "She used to work as a _social worker_… she tried to help the society… of course people wanted her dead, Detective Beckett." She was getting agitated.

Kate knew this stage of grief… Anger.

"Please call me Kate. Julie, I want you to think hard… Can you remember of anyone specific who could've killed your mom?"

"I'm _thinking, _Detec…Kate. Trust me, I am…. since I saw her lying there, that's the only thing I'm thinking." Julie closed her eyes. Tears spilled from her eyes and ran down her cheeks.

"It's okay… You're getting upset. Maybe we can continue this later…" Kate instinctively reached out and took Julie's hands in hers. She gently squeezed her hand before letting it go.

"Her ex.." Julie suddenly spoke in her trembling voice after a moment.

The detective and her partner looked at her. "Her ex?" Kate prodded gently.

"Yes. A year after Dad died, we moved in with the man she was dating, Zack. This guy was no good. All he wanted was mom's money while he sat on the couch and drank."

"Then?"

"After two years of misery, Mom broke up with him. We never saw him again… until three months earlier."

"What happened three months earlier?"

"I don't know. He just came up to Mom and said he wanted to try again with her… with us… said he was sorry… The nerve of that man! Coming up after all these years and saying he was _sorry_…" Julie spat out.

"What did your mom do?" It was Castle's turn to question.

"She sent him away but he wouldn't leave… Mom filed harassment charges… got a restraining order…" She was starting to cry again. "The last time I saw them together, he was yelling about what a bitch my Mom had been to him." She broke down completely.

Kate got up from the chair and shifted to sit beside her on the couch. She placed a hand over her shoulders. She wanted to comfort the young girl but how do you comfort someone who had just been orphaned?

"Julie, I promise I'll catch the animal which did this to your mother."

"Tha… Thank you, Kate… but I… I'll never see her again… I don't know what to do…"

Kate closed her eyes. Her old wounds were reopening and she was feeling the pain.

_At least Johanna Summers' murder case would be solved and the killer would be brought to justice. Kate would see to that._

(….)

"What's going to happen to her now?" Castle asked Kate solemnly as the two of them sat in front of the white murder board, staring at it.

"She's nineteen… So she can live by herself. She has a job, so she should get by. She should inherit their one bedroom apartment unless there is something else in her mom's will…"

"No, I mean, will she be alright?"

Kate sighed. "At the moment, no. Eventually, yes."

"Oh…" Castle didn't know what to say. He knew that Kate needed to talk to someone and get it off her chest. "Kate, how'll this affect her in the long run?"

Kate considered the question. _How would this affect Julie Summers? Would she shut herself off from the rest of the world? Would she turn suicidal? Would there be books to save her or will she drown? Was it a good thing that she didn't have a father who'd drown himself in alcohol? Would she build a wall around her heart? Would she ever be able to feel love and belonging again without feeling terrified? _

"She'll live…" Kate answered. _Even if she's half the person that she was before… even if she lives an incomplete life… she'll live._

"Hmmm… But will she be able to live again?" He asked quietly.

Kate's heart leapt. Was he asking about Julie or herself? _Damn him._

"I don't know, Castle…I know her heart will keep beating. Rest? I don't know…"

"Maybe she'll… if she lets others in." He said quietly. His sharp blue eyes pierced her soul.

"Depends… will she find someone to kick open the doors?" Castle wasn't expecting the answer. When he looked at her, he thought that he saw something in her eyes… Gratitude and… something. _Love?_

They were interrupted by Esposito.

"Yo Beckett! Got hold of the ex boyfriend, Zack. Hauled his ass in. He's in Interrogation 1."

Kate took a moment to pull herself together. "Okay, got it." She stood up and strode towards the interrogation room. She stopped for a moment and looked over her shoulder, "You coming, Castle?"

She didn't need to ask twice.

(….)

Zack Robbins sat in the interrogation room. He was lazily looking around, clearly uninterested and least bothered. He wore a tattered jeans and an oversized shirt that hung over his fat, round shoulders. Four of his shirt buttons were undone and the unruly bushy hair on his chest peeked out. His beer paunch stuck out. A scruff of facial hair, at least three days old, covered his rounded cheeks. His hair was long in what seemed to be an attempted rockstar hairstyle but the hair had thinned. His scalp shone in the middle and the remaining discolored strands clung to his neck. He smelled of stale beer and sweat and filth.

He looked up and blinked when the door opened and the detective and the writer entered.

Kate spoke up first. "Mr. Zack Robbins, are you aware of the reason you're here?"

Zack frowned. "Look lady, if this is about the misunderstanding earlier..."

"Mr. Robbins, you've quite a record. B&E, assault, DUI…"

"Oh, DUI… That was months ago… I didn't realize _that_ I was drunk."

Kate furrowed her brow and read on, "And the car you were driving was stolen."

"I was drunk _so _I didn't realize that it wasn't my car."

"But he could still hot wire the car... ," Castle stage whispered to Beckett. Zack shrugged.

Kate paused. This was her game and she was getting started.

"Mr. Robbins, do you know Johanna Summers?"

"That bitch! Of course I know her… she's my ex. What did she do now?"

"The two of you broke up four years back. Why did you return?"

"Look, detective…. I was really sorry when she broke up with me. I begged her not to leave me but her little bitch of a daughter threatened me… Said she'd accuse me of molesting her, fucking cunt! So I let her go…"

"Did you molest her?" Castle interrupted, his teeth clenched.

"Of course not! She's a goddamn lying cunt."

Castle tightened his fists under the table. Beckett placed a hand on his thigh to calm him down. It worked.

"Why did you return then?" Beckett prodded. Her mask was on and she was the epitome of determined professionalism. _She wouldn't fail Julie_.

"Look lady, I'm growing old. I need to settle down. I missed her. She was the perfect person to live with…"

"Especially since she was a working woman and had willingly fed your useless self for two years!" Castle's voice was loud.

"That is none of your goddamn business," he growled before turning to Beckett, "Why are you asking me this anyway?"

"Why did Johanna Summers apply for a restraining order against you?"

"Well, I might've gotten persuasive... you know... She thought a piece of paper could keep me away? It only pissed me off!"

"Pissed you off enough for you to kill her?" Kate easily drew Zack into the dance.

"Whoa, wait! What're you talking about?"

"Mr. Robbins, Johanna was found murdered in an alley this evening."

"Oh my God!" Zack gasped. "Why?"

"We're hoping you could tell us that." Castle's voice was vindictive.

"How can I… wait! Are you saying I killed her? Why would I do that?"

Kate saw her opening. "I think you've said it yourself. You wanted her to be your meal ticket but she refused."

"What? No! You cops are batshit crazy, man!"

"Zack Robbins, where were you between four and seven this evening?"

"This evening? Ha! I was in holding… the other cops picked me up 'coz some old fart thought I was trying to pick their lock… I wasn't but no one would listen. I told them…." He rambled on but neither of them listened. Their first lead was a dead end.

_Their suspect had an airtight alibi._

(….)

"I hate Zack! Who speaks of women this way?"

Despite the situation, a miniscule smile crossed Kate's lips. _Rick Castle… always the gentleman! _

"The 8th Precinct confirmed that Zack was in holding pretty much throughout the day on charges of attempted B&E. As much as I hate to admit this, he's not the killer… Did you see his hands, Castle? He was having tremors. He's clumsy… He couldn't possibly shoot that precisely."

Castle had to agree even though he didn't want to. He sighed. "You're right, Detective."

Once they were inside the bullpen, she called out, "Hey Ryan, where are we on her financials?"

"The bank said they'd send the financials first thing tomorrow morning."

"And surveillance footage?"

"Tech can't process it tonight. They've hit a snag or something…"

"Okay… Keep looking…"

Kate flopped back on her chair and rubbed her eyes. She was dead on her feet. But she hated to go back to her apartment. Her apartment was lonely, cold and dark. She knew that once she entered through the door, she'd drop on the couch and pass out, too tired to bother about dinner. She'd jerk awake in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat, after a nightmare. Nothing would calm her galloping heart and she'd spend rest of the night awake. She'd fall asleep again after daybreak, only to be jerked awake yet again by the alarm.

She knew the exact sequence of events that'd happen if she returned home now… It had happened too many times before.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Rick Castle's voice.

"Kate, there's nothing more we can do… Let's go home."

_Let's go home…she liked the sound of it. Only if they could go home together…._

Her thoughts slapped her hard across the face. She must've been really tired if she were thinking such thoughts. It was too early to think about that… Or was it?

"Kate?"

"Rick, you're right. There's nothing we can do tonight. Go home."

"What about you?"

"I'll leave too… after sometime…"

"No, Kate. You're leaving with me."

Castle's sudden adamant tone made Kate snap her head to look at him. "Castle…"

"No, Kate. You're too tired… even to drive. Hell, you're falling asleep on your chair…" Kate opened her mouth to protest and then shut it. He was right, after all. Castle continued, "You haven't eaten anything since lunch. I'm starving as well. We'll pick up burgers on the way and we'll go back to my loft."

Kate protested but Castle would hear none of it.

"I'm not taking 'no' for an answer, Kate. It's not like this is the first time. Let's go."

Castle was stubborn and Beckett was too tired to argue. So she got up and threw her jacket over her shoulders.

"Okay, let's go."

They walked to the elevator. A small smile spread across his lips when he felt Kate instinctively reach out and take his hand in hers.

She needed him tonight and he'd be there for her. This time, she wouldn't suffer alone.

_A/N: So here's the second chapter. May I say that the response to the first chapter has been amazing? You guys rock! But it is also making me a bit nervous. What if I can't live (or rather, write) up to your expectations? :( I'm trying, guys... I'm seriously trying._

**_Gloriajv,_**_ hehe... seems like you want to keep your record intact. Have I told you how much I love you? :)_

**_Ariel119_**_ and **Crazy4Castle, **it's great to see you back!_

**_tiff098765, _**_hearing from you after such a looooooong time, old friend..._

**_LittleLizzieZentara, _**_I was reading your story the other day. Guys, if you haven't already read her crack fanfic "The Ultimate Castle Monday", you should. You will literally roll on the floor, laughing. It's crazy, senseless, hilarious and a piece of comic genius!_

_**Tess **& **Lauren Pannell**... the two of you have left me so many kind words but I don't even have a way to reply. So here's a shout out to you... YOU'RE AWESOME!_

_I'm really really afraid. I don't want to disappoint you. Click on the blue link and leave me some love, Please?_

**_Disclaimer: I own Castle. I also own the Sun, the Moon, the Milky Way and The Great Wall of China. Planning to sell the Sun though... wonder what's the market price these days... _**


	3. Chapter 3

_She was running fast… too fast. She couldn't breathe. The muscles of her legs were burning. Sweat was pouring down her neck and back. She wanted to stop. She desperately wanted to stop but she couldn't._

_She was running along the alley where a woman had been murdered earlier…. But then, the alley changed into a more familiar one. A wave of terror washed over her when she recognized the place. This was where her mother lay dead. Was her mother still lying here in her own pool of blood? _

_She tried to stop. She didn't want to stumble on her mom's lifeless remains. But her legs wouldn't listen. Why wouldn't her damn body listen to her?_

_She realized that she was fast approaching "The spot". But before her mother came into view, she heard someone call her. _

"_Katie!"_

_It was her mother's voice. No, it couldn't be… but it was._

"_Katie! Turn back… Run away…"_

_Turning back sounded so good…she was so tired… but no! She was frantic. Mom sounded like she was in danger. No, she wouldn't turn back. She needed to save her mother._

"_Mom, where are you?"_

_Silence answered her._

_"Where're you, Momma? I need to see you..." She called out._

_She got no reply. _

_Suddenly, she wasn't running in an alley anymore. She was running through a maze. She kept hitting dead ends. She turned around and ran. Her body was out of control. She ran in an impulse… a wild impulse devoid of logic or rationality. She could sense the ominous presence of danger just around every corner, waiting to grab her but she failed to stop… she kept running like a moth driven to a flame…_

_Why was she running anyway? Oh right! Her mother was waiting for her. She needed to save her mother._

_She heard her mother again. "No Katie…Save yourself. They'll kill you. No!" _

_Her mother's voice turned into a shriek. A loud gunshot echoed through the maze. _

"_Oh Mom!" She feared the worse and tried to run faster. But she couldn't move. Why wouldn't her damn body move now? She looked down to the ground and saw a pool of blood collecting at her legs. And then, she felt it… a searing pain through her body. Someone was shoving white hot iron into her chest._

_She fell down… but she didn't hit the ground. Someone was holding her. She looked up at the sky. It was a clear shade of blue._

_Someone was calling out her name. It wasn't her mother. This voice was different… but it soothed her insides. The burning urgency inside her mellowed down and the pain dimmed._

"_Kate…. Kate…." The oddly familiar voice called her. She tried to call back but she couldn't. _

"_Kate…." She closed her eyes. Was she dying?_

"_Kate…."_

"Kate…. Wake up… Kate, you're dreaming… wake up."

Kate opened her eyes and blinked. She ran her disoriented gaze all over the place, trying to remember where she was. Her hand ran over her chest where she'd felt the pain earlier in her dream… her fingers ran over her scar. She could feel her heart trying to beat out of her ribcage. Her eyes fell on the person looking at her with a terribly worried face. _Oh Rick!_

She waited for a few more seconds before daring to open her mouth. He sat beside her patiently, observing her carefully.

"I'm sorry…" Kate whispered.

"Are you crazy? You were having a nightmare. You're sorry for that?"

Kate sighed. _Why couldn't she lead a normal life? Why did she have to wake up from these terrible nightmares? Why did she have to wake Rick up?_

"Hey honey, it's okay… don't blame yourself…."

"What time is it?"

Rick craned his neck to look at the alarm clock. "Quarter past two."

"Shit!"

"Can you go back to sleep?" His voice was soft… Almost like a father… She immediately backtracked on that thought. No! Not like a father…

After all, she was lying in his arms… Naked.

She sighed. She shouldn't have agreed to sleep with Rick tonight. She knew that this would happen.

"This is why I didn't want to spend the night together. At least I wouldn't have woken you up."

She felt the soft brush of his lips on hers. "Kate, I prefer being woken up in the middle of the night to lying here sleepless, wondering if you're tossing and turning over in your sleep."

"You do that?"

"Yes… I care for you, Kate. I love you."

Kate's eyes filled with tears. Her heart clenched with sorrow. Rick had to spend sleepless nights worrying about her. She wished she could be less flawed for the man who loved her… She wished she could be whole instead of the broken woman that she was. She was damaged and she knew it. A man like Rick deserved much more than her. That was the main reason why she'd tried to drive him away for years. She didn't deserve the wonderful human being called Richard Castle.

Her thoughts were broken by his soft voice. "What're you thinking, Kate?"

Kate bit her lip and hesitated. At least, she could be honest with him. "I wish I could be a better woman for you, Rick… I want to be a better person for you… I'm trying, Rick. I'm trying so hard…"

"Shhh…. Kate, you're perfect for me."

Kate let out a short breath. "Don't be ridiculous, Castle. I'm anything but perfect."

"I said you're perfect for me."

"What's the difference?"

"You know, you have your own quirks… but so do I. You complement me, Kate. You… you complete me."

Kate didn't know what to say. She buried her face in his bare chest.

"Want to talk about your dream?"

She shook her head.

"So, wanna sleep?" His voice was light this time.

"Give me some time… My heart was galloping when I woke up… and what you just said drove it wild." She let out a hoarse chuckle.

"Not sorry for telling the truth." He placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Rick?"

"Hmmm?"

"I love you, too…" _More than you'll ever know_.

They lay in the dark in contended silence. Rick's fingers drew circles absently on Kate's back and it comforted her. Her face rested warmly on his muscular chest, comforting him, reassuring him that he wasn't dreaming. _The extraordinary KB was indeed in his arms. _His arm tightened around her involuntarily.

Both of them fell into dreamless sleep.

(….)

"Hey Lanie, you wanted to see us?" Kate entered the morgue with Castle behind her.

"Yeah… how're you, girl?" Lanie's voice was concerned.

"I'm fine."

"Why don't I believe you?"

"I don't know, Lanie. Maybe because you are… _you_?" Kate's patience was running out fast.

"Were you with Castle last night?"

"Yes, Lanie."

"And did you have a good night?"

Kate rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Yes, Lanie."

"Did Castle treat you well?" A small mischievous smile was playing on Lanie's lips.

Before Kate could answer, Castle spoke out. "Uh, Ladies? I hate to interrupt but _Castle _is still in the room."

Lanie smirked. "Well then, what're you waiting for? Get out so that I can talk to my girl!"

Castle pouted and started to walk away in mock dejection but Kate's hands shot out and stopped him.

"Did you call us down here for this?" Kate didn't want Castle to leave. Though Lanie was her best friend, she couldn't afford to be grilled about her last night… Not when the dream was fresh in her mind.

"No… Actually, I wanted to apologize…" Lanie seemed hesitant.

"For what?" Kate was confused.

"I should've warned you…"

"Oh, forget it…"

"But…"

"Lanie… forget it." Kate's voice was friendly but firm.

"Okay, but let me make it up to you? Girls' night this weekend?"

Kate sighed. Having dear friends could sometimes be suffocating… even if in a good way…

"Okay, Lanie. Now, is there anything else you wanna tell or can we get back to work?"

"Well, you already know the preliminaries… The weapon was a 9mm. Victim was hit on the back with a rod or a bar of some sort… As she was wearing clothes, there's no patterned abrasion on her skin. But looking at the shape and thickness of the bruise, I'm guessing it was a crow bar."

"Okay…" Castle's imagination sprang into action, "So victim walks into the alley… Killer jumps out in front of her… Victim turns around and starts running away…"

"Killer hits on her back with a crow bar… she falls…" Kate continued.

Castle resumed, "Killer catches up with her and shoots her."

Both of them turned to Lanie who was looking at them with a smile on her face. She marveled at how the detective and the writer were always in sync.

"I have something else. CSU found this at the scene." Lanie declared before handing over the evidence bag.

Inside it was a piece of cloth, colored brown and green. "This is an insignia…" Kate observed while inspecting the evidence. "It belongs to the Velentzas family…"

"Crime family?" Castle choked out.

"Yes… what was a social worker doing mixed up with the mafia?" Kate pondered over the situation…

Lanie interrupted again, "There are bloody fingerprints on it, as you can see. I'll cross match the fingerprints if you give me time…"

"Sure… Take your time, Lanie. Let's go, Castle."

(…..)

Beckett and Castle walked into the bullpen.

"Esposito, see if you can find any connection between Johanna Summers and the Velentzas family…"

Esposito almost spat out the coffee he was drinking. "The social worker was involved with _the _Velentzas family? How?"

"That's what I'm asking you to find out, Espo."

Kate didn't know what made her call her colleague by a term of endearment. She never called him "Espo" outside The Old Haunt and poker games. But she didn't worry about it anymore when she was rewarded with one of Esposito's rare smiles. "On it, boss!" He said quietly and left.

Castle was unusually quiet.

"What're you thinking, Rick?"

"I'm thinking… this doesn't make sense."

"What doesn't make sense?"

"Apparently the killer was hiding in the alley, right? Why would our victim walk into the alley in the first place?"

Castle had a point. Unfortunately, Beckett didn't have an answer. "Let's find out."

(…)

"Beckett, check this out," Ryan called out.

He was holding Johanna's financials.

"The woman was in deep financial trouble… apparently, she had been paying through her nose for appointments with a behavioral therapist for her daughter, Julie."

Kate grimaced. _Julie already needed a counselor… How much would this mess the poor girl up?_

"Julie apparently had some sort of adjustment problems with her peers…they wouldn't give us the details without a warrant… Doctor-Patient Confidentiality."

"We don't need those details." Kate interrupted.

Ryan nodded. "Right! Anyway, those appointments stopped last year when Johanna ran out of money… Her bank balance was in dire straits ever since…. Until a month ago."

"What happened a month ago?" Castle was listening with rapt attention.

"A month ago, a hundred grand was deposited into her account by one Marcus Cicero." Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"Who's Marcus Cicero?"

"Johanna's boss."

(….)

"I'm sorry but why am I here?"

Marcus Cicero was leaning forward on the interrogation table, staring right into Kate Beckett's eyes. His sharp jade green eyes were trying to intimidate her hazel ones in a defiant staring contest.

Cicero was an impressive man. Even though he was wearing a suit, he seemed to be well built. His head was clean shaven and he had a goatee over his pointed chin. His face was chiseled. His skin was olive, true to his Mediterranean heritage.

He reminded Castle of "The Godfather"… but he was being ridiculous…. Did Cicero have anything to do with the Velentzas?

He was brought back to reality by Beckett's stern voice. "Mr. Cicero, your subordinate, Mrs. Johanna Summers was found dead last evening in an alley."

"Yes, I'm aware of that. What does it have to do with me?" _The man showed no regret._

Kate regarded him for a brief second. This was not a man to be played with. She decided to go straight for the kill. "Mr. Cicero, why did you deposit a hundred grand in Johanna's account a month ago?"

"It's business." He replied smoothly.

"Please elaborate."

"It is complicated… commercial accounting." Cicero dodged.

Kate's voice was getting sterner by the minute. "We can keep up, Mr. Cicero."

"I'm not obligated to explain."

Beckett stared at him for a brief second. "Mr. Cicero, are you aware that you're obstructing a murder investigation?"

"What can I say, detective? You're fishing in the wrong pool."

"Where were you last evening between four and seven?"

"I was at home, watching a ballgame."

"Can anyone vouch for you?"

"Yes… Me." _Smug uncooperative bastard._

"Myself and I got your back too?" Castle couldn't help himself. Marcus Cicero glared at him.

"Mr. Cicero, I think we're done here… Oh! By the way, we ran your financials. You have been evading taxes on your little Mediterranean restaurant for the last five years. Now, we're homicide cops. We don't care what you do with your taxes… but since you haven't been helpful to us, maybe we'll consider notifying the IRS…"

It was like Kate had uttered the magic mantra. All smugness left Cicero in an instant.

"What do you want from me?" He gulped while desperately trying to cling on to his bravado.

"Why did you pay Johanna a hundred grand?" Kate uttered each syllable slowly and clearly, as if talking to a dumb kid.

"Uh… she knew something about me… I didn't want her to tell others. So we reached an agreement."

"What did she know?"

"Why is that important?" He was getting irritated.

"We need to know if this certain knowledge could endanger her life."

"Oh… umm…. Actually, Johanna and I… we used to sleep together… nothing serious, you know… just for fun. My wife got suspicious and we had to stop. We never talked about it. Recently Johanna needed money… she came to me… threatened to tell my wife if I didn't pay up. So I paid."

"What happened next?"

"Nothing… nothing… we moved on."

Castle spoke again. "Really? 'Coz this is what I think happened. You paid Johanna quite readily. She realized that you were willing to pay her any amount to keep her quiet. A hundred grand didn't really cover it. So she started demanding more. You had paid but she wouldn't leave you alone. What kind of justice was that? Summers was greedy and you needed to punish her. So you killed her."

"No… No… I didn't kill her. I didn't kill anyone. I'm done talking! I want a lawyer, now." He looked at Castle and then at Beckett with wide threatening eyes.

(…..)

"We've nothing we can book Cicero on, Castle. The money doesn't prove anything…" Kate was pacing restlessly in the break room.

Castle was making coffee for her. "Kate, calm down. We'll find a lead soon… We'll catch the killer."

Kate came to an abrupt halt beside him. "What if we can't catch him, Rick? What if I fail? What if the case remains unsolved?" Her beautiful hazel eyes were filled with uncertainty and fear. He had never seen her so insecure… at least not when she was dealing with a case other than her mom's murder.

"Kate, you'll not fail…"

"What if all the leads turn out to be nothing?" Rick could hear panic creeping into her voice.

He pulled Kate into a hug. "Then you'll find more leads. I trust you, Kate."

They were standing in the middle of the precinct but she didn't care. She hugged him back desperately.

"I hope you're right, Rick."

Rick sighed. This case had the potential to make or break Katherine Beckett.

_I hope I am right, too…_

_A/N: Okay, I'm writing this after twelve hours of night duty… I'm currently posted in the E.R of our hospital (or Casualty, as we call here) and I didn't get a chance to sit on a chair, let alone rest. I'm seriously considering if I should train to be a Medical Examiner. Dead bodies don't complain and I love 'Forensic Medicine & Medical Jurisprudence' as a subject. There is only one subject I love more… Forensic Psychiatry. Anyway, I'm rambling. My point is I'm sure there will be plenty of mistakes in this chapter. My brain is too tired… Please excuse the poor little thing! _

_As usual, I've tried to balance our favorite couple's professional and personal lives. Tell me what you think about it._

_The Velentzas family is the name of a Greek-American crime family. I came across the name after a Google search. It was active in New York in the late eighties and early nineties. I read that its leader was convicted of the crimes he had committed. I loved the name and decided to use it here._

_I have noticed many new reviewers… __**sophiadelancy, BlackPawn101, Nat, Undercover Cop2, MHoles, Lady Ailith. **__Welcome aboard! I'll surely reply to all of your reviews personally… except __**Nat**__... I don't know how to reach you! So here is a shout out for you: "You're awesome, dude!"_

_Okay, others don't be unhappy with me… I love you all. Those of you who added me to your alerts list… I'm really grateful to you :) _

_**Disclaimer: Castle and all the familiar characters belong to the genius Marlowe, his lovely wife Terri Edda Miller and the rest of the team. However, Johanna Summers, Julie Summers, Zack Robbins and Marcus Cicero belong to me :) **_


	4. Chapter 4

Kate stared absently through the car window, seeing nothing.

"_Katie… turn around… run away…" _Her mother's voice from the dream was reverberating inside her head.

Kate Beckett was not a superstitious woman. She was anything but superstitious. She never believed in the paranormal. She hardly believed in magic. When she was a little girl, her parents would take her to magic shows and instead of being intrigued by the routines, she would try to work out the trick behind them. Logic was like a religion to her. She believed in methods and procedures. She needed proof to believe in anything.

She was not stupid enough to think that her mother was sending her messages through her dreams. But she knew that her own mind was trying to tell her something... These dreams meant something. Years of therapy had taught her that she was not an open person. In fact, she was so closed off that she didn't hesitate to shut even her own emotions out, let alone other people. She always tried to be like a machine, dissecting the crests and troughs of life with mathematical precision.

Unfortunately, she had not succeeded in transforming herself into a piece of machinery. Her human nature, her emotions and insecurities, her pain and sufferings still existed. She was just good at shoving them under the proverbial carpet. At times like these, they churned and swelled and refused to stay hidden. Whenever she was troubled, her deepest fears and insecurities would make their presence known… they would visit Kate in her nightmares like restless spirits. They would trouble her. They would force her to face them. They would force her to look into the mirror and stare at the emotionally dysfunctional woman that she really was.

The dream that she had last night… she often had that dream. Maybe not exactly the same but almost… Kate always ran in her dreams, she always hit dead ends, she always heard her mom calling out to her. Sometimes she saw her mother lying dead…

Since she had been shot, something had changed. Nowadays, in her nightmares, she always heard her mother asking her to turn around and run away. Sometimes her mother's voice would just command her to stop running. But she ran anyway… In her dreams, she always felt that she was unable to stop… that she was out of control… Did it mean anything? Was the dormant corner of her brain trying to say something?

_Was she running through a maze in her real life? Was she supposed to stop running? Was her basic survival instinct trying to warn her? Was it logic? Or was it cowardice? _

She knew that the next time she'd be shot, she would not survive. They'd see to that. _What would that do to Rick? Oh God, Rick was now a part of her messed up life… What had she been thinking?_

She had stopped working on her mother's case because Castle had requested her to take a break. She intended to return to the case… but would that be a good idea? What if they found out that the murderer was too powerful to be taken down? Would she be able to live with herself if she knew who her mom's killer was without being able to do anything about it? Was she better off not knowing? Did Castle feel that way too? Was he trying to keep her away? She was not alone anymore. Her actions would affect Rick and his family as much as they affected her. Should she walk away?

"_Katie… save yourself."_

Could she really save herself anymore or was it too late?

Rick's voice brought Kate back to reality. "Kate… the light has changed to green…"

He was right. The red light had changed to green and the cars behind them were honking angrily. She shook herself mentally before stepping on the gas.

"You know, Johanna Summers was nothing like your mother…" Rick was trying to start a small talk.

"Hmmm…."

"And I know I shouldn't speak ill of the dead but her taste in men was appalling."

"Hmmm…"

"Kate?"

"Hmmm…"

"Could you please say a word other than 'Hmmm'?"

Kate sighed. "Castle, is 'hmmm' a word?"

"No, but you seem to be oddly fixated on it… Did you listen to what I was saying?"

"Yes… Johanna Summers is not my mom… I am not Julie… but that girl is suffering because her mom has been murdered. Can you deny that?"

"No… It's just that…" Rick hesitated.

"What, Castle?"

"You're pushing yourself too hard, Kate. You're stressing yourself out… Treat it like any other case and you'll see something hiding right in front of your eyes."

Kate pondered over what Rick had just said.

"Now what?" Castle playfully whined.

"Rick, do you think that's why I'm not being able to solve my mom's case? 'Coz I'm pushing myself too hard?"

Castle sighed. "Kate… you've pushed yourself in all the ways possible… too hard, medium hard, light run… you've even trampled over yourself… it's not your fault, Kate. We agreed that you were taking a break, remember?"

"Yeah… sorry…" Kate shut up.

The silence in the car soon became stifling.

"Do you think Cicero did it?" Kate broke the silence this time.

"He certainly has the 'mafia' feel…"

Kate chuckled. "_Mafia feel_? What's that?"

"Well, he is of Mediterranean descent… Probably has Italian blood in him. Italians have this 'don't forgive, don't forget' attitude. They always exact their revenge."

Kate laughed out loud, "Really Castle? What else do they do? Eat only pizza and pasta and smoke cigar and gel their hair and play mandolin?"

"Are you laughing at me, Katherine Beckett?"

"Yes, I am! You believe in these stupid stereotypes? It's like all blondes are dumb, all Canadians are afraid of the dark and all Texans are cowboys!" Beckett's rich laughter filled the car.

Castle didn't mind that she was laughing at him. _At least she was laughing…_

He decided to play along. "Whoa! They aren't?"

"Castle, I once dated a Texan dude whose father owned a ranch. I _never _saw him wearing boots or a hat."

"You dated a cowboy?" Castle's voice was loud with excitement.

Castle could always be trusted to get excited over the least important part of any sentence. She rolled her eyes. "Yes I did… but that's not the point. The point is stereotypes are silly."

They pulled up at their destination.

"What Castle, why so silent?"

"I'm trying to imagine you in boots and a cowboy hat. And a whip in your hand perhaps…"

"You don't have to imagine. I might be persuaded to pose for you in those, Castle…. _Only_ in those, if you want."

She winked and left the car, leaving behind a slack jawed Richard Castle.

(…..)

They were sitting on the shabby couch in the living room of the small apartment. Clothes and old newspapers were strewn everywhere. There were a few beer bottles lying around as well.

"I'm sorry, detective. I didn't know you were coming. The room is really a mess… I couldn't get anything done in the last couple of days." Julie's voice was oddly calm.

"It's okay. We understand." She looked around and hesitated. "Julie, have you been drinking?"

Julie blushed fiercely. "I know I'm underage but…"

"There's that, yeah, but there's more to it than just your age, Julie… I know I'm no one to advice you but speaking from experience, you're making a mistake. You could turn into a full blown alcoholic. Alcohol never solves any problem… It only creates new ones."

"I know… I know… I just don't know what to do… it's this feeling… like something heavy is sitting on my chest… something that won't let me breathe. It's not going away… I don't know what to do. It's so difficult, you know?" Julie's eyes were moist.

"I know, Julie. Trust me, I know."

The younger woman looked at the older woman's eyes and an understanding crossed her face. "I'm sorry, Detective. I just wish no one else has to face this… ever."

"Me too."

After half a minute, Julie spoke again. "How's the investigation going?"

Beckett cringed internally. She wished she had good news for the bereaved daughter. "We're still looking. Actually, that's why we're here. You said you remembered Zack fighting with your mom but Zack has an alibi. Do you remember anyone else fighting with your mom?"

Julie was silent for a moment. "Actually, there was this other guy…"

"What guy?"

"I don't know his name… I… this guy came to our place twice. Mom didn't let him in… Last time he yelled at mom before leaving."

"Okay, what did this guy look like?"

"Hispanic… somewhere in his mid twenties… tall… black hair, cropped up. I didn't get a good look at his face. Mom was telling him that it was her job to report him for something but he was screaming in Spanish. It was frightening…" She shuddered.

"Is that all? Is there anything else you remember?"

"I'm trying detective… I have this really messed up brain. I don't seem to remember things when I'm stressed… Mom used to take me to a therapist for that…" _Oh, poor girl!_

"It's okay, Julie… We'll run down this lead. If you remember anything else, don't hesitate to call."

"Detective… Mr. Castle… I should get you something to drink…"

"Oh, no… not this time, Julie." Julie seemed disheartened, so Castle pressed, "Maybe we'll stop over for a pizza after we solve the case."

Julie nodded and saw them off at the front door.

Once inside the car, Castle turned to face the detective, "Julie appeared to be oddly calm."

"Yes Castle… she's numb."

"She didn't seem to be grieving…"

"Yeah and it worries me. I _know_ this stage… We should put her on suicide watch."

"You think?" Castle asked. After a moment something clicked and he snapped his head up to look at Kate. Kate looked ahead stubbornly. He decided to drop the issue temporarily.

"Let's go."

(…..)

"Beckett, we just got the surveillance footage…"

"Okay, run it."

Castle, Beckett and Ryan watched as the images flashed across the screen soundlessly.

"Okay, right there… rewind…" Beckett's voice was sharp.

Ryan did as she said and put the video on slow motion.

"Zoom in."

They stared at the screen as Johanna Summers ran up to the alley in slow motion. She hesitated for a brief moment, as if trying to choose between running past the alley and hiding in the alley. Then she entered the alley and ran further into it until she disappeared from view.

Two more minutes passed in slow motion… and then they saw it…

A Hispanic man in his mid twenties and about six feet tall, walked into view with a crow bar in hand. He stood at the opening of the alley for a moment. He seemed to be deciding whether to walk past the alley or to enter. He entered the alley. The time stamp read 18:17:00.

They kept watching. At 18:18:32, the man ran out of the alley, the crow bar still in his hands. Even on the grainy footage, they could see a horrified expression on his face and blood on his hands, literally. He ran out fast and disappeared into the crowd.

Castle looked at Kate… "And there, we have our killer."

(….)

"Yo Beckett! Your girl gave us a good lead this time." Esposito walked into the bullpen.

"What?"

"The man whom she described? Johanna Summers got into a huge fight with a guy matching his description last week. Name's Tony Martinez. This guy had been in prison on charges of DUI and rash driving… He got out last month on probation… He was required to perform two hundred hours of community service. Guess who his supervisor was?"

"Johanna Summers?" Castle supplied.

"Attaboy!" Esposito slapped his shoulder so hard that Castle grimaced. The detective didn't seem to notice. He continued, "Anyway, our Tony decided that he didn't need to do community service. He played truant. He tried to convince our victim to alter his service report but she refused. That meant he'd be back in prison. According to witnesses, he then threatened to kill her. Also, hear this… he has a brother who works for the Velentzas family." He pulled put Tony's photograph from the file in his hand. "Look familiar?"

They were staring at the photograph of the man from the footage.

(….)

"Okay, thanks Lanie." Beckett hung up his phone.

"What did she say?"

"The fingerprints on the insignia belong to Tony Martinez."

They smiled at each other before she turned around and called Ryan. "Hey Ryan, did we pick up Martinez yet?"

"The uniforms are on it… Apparently, he is in the wind."

"Put out an APB on him. I want that jackass in custody by tomorrow."

"You got it!" Ryan nodded and left.

"So…." Castle started.

"So?" Kate replied jovially. The change in her mood was spectacular.

"Let's go home…"

"No can do, Castle. I've a date with Martinez." She winked.

"A date? Now I'm offended. I propose that you leave the precinct and come home with me. This Martinez asshole can wait."

"Castle…"

"Kate, there's no certainty that he'll be brought in tonight. And if he is brought in, they can always call you."

Kate pondered over it for a moment.

"Please Kate!" Castle whined like a five year old on a tantrum.

"Okay." She smiled.

"Let's go."

Ryan and Esposito watched as the duo walked towards the elevator hand in hand. They smiled when they saw "mommy" and "daddy" pull each other in a hug inside the elevator.

The elevator doors closed.

_A/N: Okay… So here's the fourth chapter. Let me know what you think about it :) _

_I'm not rambling as usual because the characters haven't left my head yet and I plan to tie them down in Chapter 5 before they leave…_

_Thanks for all your reviews, PMs and alerts. I'll get back to all of you soon. Please don't forget to review this one._

_**Disclaimer: Not mine!**_


	5. Chapter 5

"I hope we catch the scum soon… It'll be finally over," she whispered.

"That's right!"

She sighed and snuggled further into him. They were on the couch and two empty Styrofoam food containers stood on the table in front of them.

She soon immersed herself in her thoughts. _If only she could solve this easily the case that mattered to her the most…_

"Kate?"

"Hmmm…"

"There's something that's bothering me… something that you said earlier…"

"What? When?" Kate tried to sit up but Rick tightened his arm around her.

"When you said we should put Julie on suicide watch… it seemed… I don't know… it seemed that you were speaking from experience…" Rick hesitated and trailed off. He was stiff with anxiety. Was he being stupid? Would Kate shut him out once again? Would she fight back like a cornered lioness? Would she yell at him? Would Kate jump up and run away?

Kate stopped breathing for a moment. Of course Rick would pick up every word that escaped her mouth. _Damn him. _Her first instinct was to get up and bolt through the door. She wanted to hide somewhere where he'd never find her. She didn't want to talk about her past. She hated to remember those days. Those were the days that frightened her, that made her unsure of herself. But Rick deserved to know the truth. She couldn't hide anything from him… not when they were starting something special, not when she was trying to be a better person for him… a less closed off woman. She _had_ to open up to him. He needed to know what despair could do to Kate Beckett. He deserved to know how she owed him her life.

"It's a long story… and not very pleasant. You might even hate me. Are you sure you want to hear it?" Kate hesitated.

"I _cannot _hate you, Kate. I need to know. Trust me, please."

She sighed. "It was seven days after my mom's funeral. I had stopped crying by then but I hadn't come out of my room in seven days. Finally I couldn't stay in my room anymore… I felt insane. I came out and walked down the stairs… Dad was lying on the kitchen floor, passed out. The whole floor was littered with empty bottles of whisky…" Kate's voice had a strange tone. She wasn't remembering those moments. She was reliving them.

"I didn't know what to do… I was angry… at my Dad, my Mom, at my mom's killer, at everybody, at life… I was so angry… I wanted to scream… I rushed out of the house. I wandered on the streets, I've no idea for how long. All I remember is when I'd left home, the sun was bright and high up in the sky. I kept walking around until it was almost dark."

Rick didn't dare to interrupt her. He listened to her with baited breath. It was as if the sound of his breathing would break the spell…

"I don't know how but I ended up on the Brooklyn Bridge… I guess I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I stood there, looking down at the water below when the idea struck me… that I could end it all, very easily… All it would take was a moment of courage and the pain would be gone… for ever…" Her voice cracked.

"Oh Kate!" He held her tightly.

She swallowed. She was still in the past. Her eyes had that faraway look. "I wanted to punish my father for being selfish, for thinking only about himself… for escaping into the bottle while I was left behind to deal with everything… I leaned down and I could see the sparkling water… It was sunset and the water had this red glow… It was so sinfully beautiful… It was so oddly colorful in contrast to my dull life… I don't know what happened… That sight did something to me and I couldn't jump… I just couldn't…"

"Thank God, Kate!"

"I know… I don't remember how long I stood there… how many times I debated with myself… I just wanted to give in to that temptation of escaping everything… of punishing my father… but I just couldn't do it… I walked away."

Castle let out the breath he had been holding. Kate Beckett was his life. He couldn't imagine what life would be like without Kate in it. He had come so close to losing her… and he didn't even know her then. His chest constricted painfully.

He wasn't prepared to hear what he heard next.

"That evening, you entered my life."

He was speechless. "How?"

"After I walked away, I was sitting in a coffee shop when it hit me… How close I had come to killing myself… It hit me so hard… I was so terrified, so ashamed. I was afraid of myself. On my way home, I was passing in front of a small book shop… I thought if I kept myself busy, maybe I wouldn't think about doing something like this again. I started browsing through the shop. But wherever I looked, I was reminded of my mom… she loved books and she had read almost all of them. So, I just walked up to the man at the counter and asked for a random book. He asked me about the genre and I said "Crime" because that was all on my mind. He handed me a book… _In a Hail of Bullets. _Just like that, you entered my life. You comforted me… and saved me."

"Kate… Oh, Kate…"

Rick didn't realize he had been crying until Kate brushed tears off his cheeks. "You're crying… I'm so sorry, Rick... please don't hate me."

"No! I can never ever hate you, Kate. It's just… I… I'm so grateful to that man... I don't know how to say this… I've never been this satisfied about being a writer before… I never thought my books could do this to anyone… Entertain people? Yes. But help people? Didn't think so. I comforted you… Oh God! That's all I've ever wanted… to comfort you… I did that someday, somehow… Even though I didn't know you then… And then I entered your life in person and opened up everything again. I destroyed it all… Only if I could do it again… Only if I could comfort you again…"

Kate hugged him tightly. "You do, Rick. You comfort me every day." Her voice was a whisper. "You'll never know what you do for me… All the time, I'm leaning over the edge of the rabbit hole and you are the one holding me back… You're the reason why I'm here… Alive and sane."

"Oh, Kate!"

They hugged each other fiercely. Neither of them realized that they were trembling.

Their kiss started softly in an attempt to comfort each other… As the thoughts of what could have been swirled in their heads, the kiss became frantic. They needed to feel each other. They needed to feel the warmth of each other's skin against their bodies. They needed to listen to the beating of each other's heart. They needed to feel each other's breath on their skin. They needed to reaffirm that they were alive… and that they were there in each other's arms.

They touched each other in their desperate need. They called out to each other and they answered each other's call. It was a cry to be one.

It was a burning desire to celebrate life.

(….)

Kate woke up first… as usual.

She looked over at Rick who was now sleeping on his stomach with an arm around her waist. She couldn't help but smile. He looked like a little boy hugging his favorite teddy in his sleep…

Little boy! Huh! As if a little boy could do to someone all the deliciously nasty things that he did to her body… She shivered and it had nothing to do with the temperature.

She remembered the conversation they had last night. She had told Rick the truth… Before last night, he didn't know how much he had affected her life. He needed to know and she had told him. A tiny part of her had been afraid that after hearing Kate's story, he'd be repulsed. What had she been thinking? This was Rick Castle… the amazing man, the wonderful son and father, the loyal partner, her favorite author, _her One and Done_…

Her eyes jerked open… _Did she just think that? Wasn't it too early to think like that?_

She sighed and slid out of bed, careful not to wake up Rick.

After freshening up, she put on Rick's oversized shirt over a pair of yoga pants that Castle had smuggled out of her apartment into his own closet. Of course he had… he was always thoughtful.

_What was this… Rick Castle Appreciation Day?_ As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she chuckled silently. Castle would definitely love the idea…

She padded out of the bedroom towards the kitchen on a mission to cook breakfast. As soon as she entered the kitchen, she stopped short.

"Alexis!"

The redhead was sitting at the counter, sipping orange juice. "Hi Kate! You're up early!"

"Yeah, habit. Your dad is still sleeping" Kate shrugged.

"I thought you'd imbibe Dad's habit of waking up at ten… or he'd learn to wake up with you!"

Kate was suddenly aware that she was wearing Rick's shirt. Detective Kate Beckett, who didn't flinch while bringing down suspects, stood in front of the teenager, blushing. "Yeah… Umm… So, you're home early… We thought that you'd return later in the day… Not that this isn't a pleasant surprise, but…"

The teenager was amused at the apparent role reversal. She decided to brush it off in an effort to make Kate feel comfortable.

"Yeah, you're right. I was supposed to return around noon. But last night Jennie, a girl in our camp, got a call from home about her grandfather. She was returning home early in the morning. She stays in Manhattan as well so I decided to tag along…"

Kate smiled and nodded. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"What are you making?"

"Anything you want, Alexis."

Over the years, Alexis had seen many of her dad's girlfriends. Most of them had been nice to her but something was always missing. She always felt that none of those women were actually interested in her. She had been "Richard Castle's daughter" to them… not Alexis. Kate was certainly not one of those women. Kate always treated her as an individual and Alexis respected her for that.

"I was thinking pancakes but you've got to let me help you." The younger woman smiled.

"Aren't you tired?"

"No, Kate. Besides, I love to cook when I'm tired. It's relaxing."

Kate smiled. Alexis was definitely Castle's daughter. "Okay then… requesting all hands on board with immediate effect!"

Alexis laughed. She could see why her dad loved this woman.

They worked together in contended silence and soon, the delicious scent of pancakes filled the room.

Alexis broke the silence when they were setting up the plates, "Kate, I was thinking about arranging a party here tomorrow, if that's okay with you."

Kate eyed Alexis incredulously. "Alexis, it's your home… Why wouldn't it be okay with me?"

"Well, it's your home too…" Alexis trailed off when she realized what she'd just said and blushed furiously. She looked at Kate and found her looking at her with a peculiar expression. She tried to go for damage control, "What I meant is… we love having you here. You care for us, obviously and I… I like you a lot… I really think of you as family…" She wasn't sure if she was controlling the damage or digging herself into a deeper hole. She didn't know what else to do. She found a sudden interest in the marble pattern on the floor.

Kate was too stunned to say anything. She always knew but she had never really considered how Castle's family was now a part of her life. This young girl thought of her as family. She came to her for advice. She had asked for her permission a few minutes ago. It was almost like Kate had a family…

"Look, I'm sorry…" Alexis started in a small voice.

Kate realized that the teenager had misunderstood her silence. "No, Alexis, don't be sorry…" Kate surprised the hell out of herself when she strode forward and pulled Alexis into a hug. _Hugging was something that Kate had been doing a lot lately… Since when had she started acting so out of character?_

She was surprised when Alexis tightened the hug.

"It's okay, Alexis. As you said yourself, I do care for you. I do think of you as my friend, my family… but, I would never impose anything on you. You can do whatever you want as long as your Dad is okay with it."

Alexis nodded before they broke the contact. "Kate, I want you to be there."

"You want me there? Wouldn't your friends be there?"

"I think we just established that we're friends." Alexis' eyes held the same sparkle that her father's eyes often held.

"Hmm… okay…"

"Besides, you need to be there to protect Dad!"

"What?" Kate let out an amused chuckle.

"Yeah… You need to protect him from Lisa… she has a violent crush on him."

"But she's what… eighteen?"

"Ew, I know, right? What can I say… that's the way things are… it's weird to see your friend fangirling over your dad!" She shuddered dramatically.

"Why invite her then?" Kate's tone held no judgment, only curiosity.

"Well… I didn't want to… but Lisa is Joe's girlfriend and Joe is Ashley's best friend… In short, it's complicated."

Kate only shook her head, amused at teenage dynamics. Kate had her fair share of wild teenage years but somehow, watching these kids was refreshing.

"And yeah, bring your friends too…"

"Why, we need the whole precinct to protect your father?"

"No… but we need them to have fun… Party will be a smash…"

"Did anyone say party?" Rick's voice boomed across the room. "Alexis, you're home!"

"Good morning, Dad… And yeah, I'm arranging a party here tomorrow. I was asking Kate to invite your gang… It'll be fun."

"Party with a bunch of cops? How's that supposed to be fun?" Castle whined, true to his character.

"Well Dad, maybe they'll keep you in check. Remember the time you threw a party? It was so loud that someone called the cops. This time that wouldn't be necessary. "

"And maybe, they'll save you from rabid fangirls." Kate added with a wink.

"Such a killjoy! At least tell me there's going to be a theme." He reached out and stuffed a large piece of pancake in his mouth.

"Yes, black lights!"

"Black lights?" Castle and Kate asked in unison. At least, Kate did. All that came out of Castle's mouth was "Bwak wite?"

Alexis sat down at the table, excited at the opportunity to explain her idea.

"Yes. I have a friend whose father owns a black light bulb storage facility. She gave me the idea. We could fit black lights in the room. Then we'll go for glow decoration. Guests can wear glow costumes. In fact, Paige has already selected a 'glow-bikini' costume!"

Castle choked, "Glow-bikini?"

Kate replied, "Yeah, it's a costume that glows at the right places and gives the viewer an impression that the person is wearing only a bikini."

"And you know this because?"

"Because I don't live under a rock, Castle!" She rolled her eyes.

Castle turned to Alexis, "What're you going to wear?"

"That's a surprise!" She flashed at her dad a too innocent smile that only worried him more.

"Alexis…"

"Come on, Dad! The idea is great… Give it a _glowing _praise."

Before anyone could say anything, Kate's phone rang. "Beckett. Okay, we're on our way." She slid the phone shut. She turned to Castle, "Martinez has been picked up."

Castle nodded and then turned to Alexis. "Sorry pumpkin, we've got to _glow _now_._"

(…)

They watched him through the one-way glass.

Tony Martinez sat inside the interrogation room. He was a twenty four year old man. His dark hair was cropped and his brown skin was glistening with sweat. He wore a black T-shirt and blue jeans that clung to his beefy body. He was restless and fidgety. He kept bouncing on the chair and stared at his hands. He kept muttering to himself.

"Are you sure this is our guy?" Castle asked.

"Yes, Castle. He is Tony Martinez. His brother, Carlos, works for the Velentzas family. This guy threatened our victim; he is on footage, following our victim with a crowbar and coming out with blood on his hands; his fingerprints are on a Velentzas insignia found at the crime scene; he was trying to get out of State when police caught him."

"But he hasn't committed a murder before, has he?"

"No Castle… why are you asking me this?"

"Kate, this guy doesn't look like a killer to me. Besides, Lanie said that judging by the angle of the entry wound, the killer was somewhere around 5'5" and 5'8". This guy is way too tall."

"Doesn't matter. He's our guy. Evidence speaks for itself, Castle. _Prima facie."_

"You're right." Castle hesitated.

"Let's go in there, Castle. Let's break that son of a bitch."

_A/N: So, here is Chapter 5 for you guys! If you think this is nearing the end, you're mistaken… I've plans for our favorite couple! ;)_

_By the way, I've never been to New York (or anywhere in the US). I'm not sure where young Kate's home is supposed to be or if it is possible for her to walk to the Brooklyn Bridge. If it is unbelievable, just consider it as a 'creative liberty' (That's what the writers call it when they don't get their facts right!) Also, I know that a 'glow bikini' is not what I made it out to be. So I added the hyphen between the two words to make it distinct. Forgive me if it is an epic fail._

_I'm really lucky to have readers like you. __**Gloriajv, crazy4castle, Ariel119**__… It seems I'm mentioning you in every A/N. I don't mind…. Just keep being the awesome human beings that you are._

_**LittleLizzieZentara, **__you're reading the story regularly too, I can see. I'm so grateful to you._

_**Sophiadelancy**__**, **__I'd reply personally but you left reviews as a visitor. So, YOU'RE AWESOME, GIRL! Keep being the wonderful reader that you're._

_**Go-with-the-flow-2829**__, welcome aboard, my friend! Thank you for the kind words!_

_As usual, I love all of you…._

_**Disclaimer: Oneday I'll write my own screenplay and direct it… Stana Katic will star in it… Someday… Someday…**_


	6. Chapter 6

"Mr. Tony Martinez, are you aware why you're here?" Beckett was like a predator circling her prey. She'd never admit to anyone but she loved this part of interrogation. She loved to sit back and wait for the prey to weave a net of lies, only to entangle himself in the net minutes later.

"No."

"Do you know Johanna Summers?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"She's my community service supervisor."

"How was your relationship with Mrs. Summers?"

"It was okay."

"You mean you never yelled at her?"

"No… Yes… I mean_…¿Qué diablos!_ We argued initially but everything was fine."

"You mean fine for you."

"No, for both of us. We worked out an understanding."

"How exactly did you work out an understanding? Did it involve crowbars? And Guns?"

"No!" Tony cried out. He was evidently scared. "I didn't kill her, I swear."

"So you know that she was murdered?"

"No… no… I mean, yes, I read in the papers…"

"You _read_?" Castle piped in, surprised. Tony didn't answer to that.

"Tell me, Tony… what did you read in the papers?" Beckett questioned lazily.

"She… She was murdered in an alley."

"How?"

"I don't know."

"Do you know where she was murdered?"

"No." Tony shook his head violently.

"That's strange… because you were there in the alley when she died."

"No!"

"Tony, we've a video footage with a time stamp that shows you entering the alley right after her… You know what else it shows?" Beckett slapped down a photograph on the table. It was a captured frame from the footage showing Tony leaving the alley with bloody hands.

"No! It's not me!"

"Yes, that's you… unless someone else borrowed your fingers." She watched him swallow nervously. "We got this insignia from the scene. Recognize it?" She held the evidence bag up in front of Tony and his eyes widened. "This is an insignia of the Velentzas family. It has your fingerprints all over it… bloody prints… her blood, your print. It's over, Tony! You did it. You killed Johanna Summers." Beckett was leaning forward on the table.

"_Santa Madre de Dios_! No, no! I didn't! Let me explain… Please let me explain…"

"Go ahead." She leaned back.

"Okay, we fought. She wouldn't help me, so we fought. She didn't listen. But I couldn't go back to jail! They'd eat me alive there… So, I decided to explain the situation to her."

"With a crowbar?" Castle asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Look, I made a mistake, okay? I wanted to scare her. So I went to visit her at her workplace with a crowbar and my brother's colors. I stole it from him. Carlos didn't even know… I thought gang colors would… persuade her. When she saw it, she panicked and ran… I couldn't run after her on the busy street with a crowbar in hand. I fell behind but I followed her… When I entered the alley, she was already dead. I was so afraid… I _never _wanted her dead. The insignia fell from my hand… I tried to pick it up… Got her blood on my hands… I got so scared that I ran out of the alley as fast as I could…"

They were all silent for a moment. Beckett finally spoke, "Excellent story, Mr. Martinez. However, that's what it is… a story. There was a bruise on her back; a bruise in the shape of a crowbar. You hit her. When she fell, you pointed your gun at her and shot her right between the eyes. You watched her die. You picked up her purse and cell phone before you left."

"_querido Dios_! No… No… I want a lawyer!" Tony was trembling now.

"You'll get one. But I will nail you anyway. I have enough evidence to put you away for life. I'll make sure I do." Beckett started walking away from him.

"Please, believe me… have mercy on me!"

Beckett stopped and turned around. Her hazel eyes were on fire. She walked back towards him in steady steps. She brought her face so close to his that he had to squint in order to see her.

"Did you show mercy to Johanna Summers?" Her voice was dangerously low and hatred poured from every syllable. "Because of you, a nineteen year old girl is now an orphan… Don't beg for mercy, you son of a bitch."

With that she straightened up and left the room.

Castle had once thought that Kate Beckett couldn't surprise him in the interrogation room anymore. He was clearly wrong. After watching her vengeful stance against Tony, he had to pick up his jaw from the floor before following her outside.

(….)

"What, Castle?" Kate was watching Castle.

Castle himself was staring off into space, "I don't know, Kate… this doesn't feel right."

Kate smiled. "Why? Not dramatic enough for you?"

"Kate, if our victim was getting further into the alley instead of getting away, why would someone hit her from behind?"

"To slow her down, obviously."

"And then he shot her."

"Right."

"But Lanie said she was probably running out."

"_Probably,_ Castle. The key word is _probably_. Those were our theories. All of them could be wrong. But now we have solid forensic evidence."

"Hmmm…"

"Rick, this is not one of your books with an ultimate twist. The amount of evidence is insurmountable. This is definitely not a coincidence."

Rick pondered over the case. Kate's words made sense. He was being ridiculous. Of course, they had conclusive evidence. _Prima facie_ as Kate had told him earlier… it was almost like a smoking gun. There was no escape for Tony Martinez. "You're right, Kate… I should stop my conspiracy theories."

They smiled at each other.

"So, Detective Beckett, what're you wearing to the party?"

"Clothes, Castle. I'll wear clothes."

"What kind of clothes?"

"Nothing that could possibly interest you."

"I was thinking about taking you up on your earlier offer."

"What offer?"

"Boots and a cowboy hat!"

"No chance!"

"Come on, you promised."

"I didn't promise to wear them to a party!"

"What party? Are we invited?" They hadn't noticed Ryan and Esposito standing beside them.

Castle replied, "It's Alexis' party… at the loft… And yes, you are invited."

"Free food? Great." Ryan exclaimed in childlike glee. Esposito shook his head disapprovingly.

"And wear something glow-y… It's a black light party."

"Wow, little Castle is cool, bro." Ryan commented as they left for their desk.

Castle turned to Kate just in time to see her picking up the car keys from her desk.

"Where're you going?"

"I've to let Julie know that her mom's killer is behind the bars. Do you want to come?"

"Sure."

(…..)

"So it's over?" Julie sighed out. Her eyes were moist.

"Yes." Kate didn't know what else to say.

"I don't know if I can live with this…."

"Give it time, Julie. You'll be able to do it."

"Have you ever lost anyone, detective?"

Julie's brutally forward question knocked the breath out of Kate. "Yes."

"So you know how I feel?"

"Yes, Julie."

"Then tell me, detective, how do you get over it?"

Kate closed her eyes for a moment. "You don't… But one day you'll wake up and find that you don't mind carrying it around with you."

Julie smiled wistfully.

"Julie… If you ever need to talk… about anything, don't hesitate to call me."

"I know, detective. You're different, you're kind… You're not like the rest of them… I've wondered from the beginning what makes you different from others. I know now. You care."

Kate didn't know how to respond to that. So she just nodded gratefully.

Castle, who was quietly watching the two women interact, felt the need to break the silence before it turned uncomfortable. "So, ladies, are you in the mood for pizza?"

"Castle…" Kate started but Julie cut her off.

"Of course, Mr. Castle! My treat!" She smiled.

"Julie, we can't do that…" Castle started.

"Mr. Castle, I remember that you promised to stop by for a pizza after this was over."

"Yeah… but…"

"Look guys, I really appreciate everything you've done for me. This is the least I can do… I don't want to feel as if you're pitying me…"

That effectively stopped all arguments.

"Okay then, your treat it is."

"Okay… the menu is in the drawer." Julie said with a shy smile.

Over the next forty minutes, they chatted about little nothings. They almost bonded like a family and even Julie, whose life had changed terribly in the past two days, managed a couple of genuine laughs, thanks to Castle. They were interrupted when the door bell rang.

"Oh, that must be the pizza. I'll get the door." Castle volunteered.

Julie nodded and handed him a $10 and a $5 bill. "That should cover the tip."

Castle opened the door. A boy, around eighteen, stood there with a box in hand.

"Hello…" The pizza boy started and then stopped abruptly. He kept looking at Castle with large, round eyes.

"Hello, Peter." Castle replied cheerily after a brief glance at the guy's name tag.

The guy didn't respond immediately.

"You alright?" Castle asked again.

"Yes… oh my God, you're Richard Castle!" Peter had thrown professionalism out through the window.

Castle, who was used to dealing with star struck fans, sighed. He needed to get rid of this guy, politely, as fast as possible… before the guy started gushing about how what a great fan he was and how hot Nikki Heat was.

"I'm such a great fan of your work, Sir! I absolutely love your books." Apparently Castle hadn't been fast enough.

"I see… Thank you"

"You've inspired me to write, sir."

That caught Castle's attention. "You write?"

"Yes, Sir. I write. I'm taking a creative writing course at college too… My professors are quite hopeful… I'm writing my first novel… I'm nowhere as good as you though…" The young man blushed.

Castle suddenly felt a sudden affection for the budding writer. "What do you write, Peter?"

"Crime fiction, Sir."

"And how's your novel shaping up?"

"I'm almost finished… although…"

"Although what?" Castle enquired. This guy was one of those rare fans who spoke about the actual process of writing instead of uttering predictable praises about his bestsellers like well trained parrots. Castle decided that he liked this guy.

"No one seems to be interested in publishing it." Peter hung his head low.

Castle considered for a moment. This guy claimed that he was actually training to be a writer. He had even said that his professors were hopeful and there was a certain pride in his voice when he said that which meant he wasn't lying. Maybe, all he needed was a chance… Everyone deserved a chance. Where would Rick Castle be today had he not been given an opportunity? _Maybe_ _his books will comfort a Kate Beckett someday_…

The last thought struck Castle vehemently and he made up his mind. "Peter, why don't you contact me after your book is finished? I'll read it and if it's good, I'll recommend it to a few publishers I know."

Peter almost jumped up in excitement. Not every day did a Pizza Delivery Guy meet a bestseller novelist at the door, let alone get an offer about his own book. Today was a lucky day. "Thank you, Sir. Thank you so much."

"Don't thank me so profusely, kid. I just agreed to read your novel. Publishing comes into the equation _only if _it is good."

"It's the opportunity, Sir… Thank you so much…"

"Now, I'd like to have my Pizza, please." Castle smiled at the overwhelmed teenager.

"Yes Sir, of course, sorry…" He stammered and offered Castle the box.

"Am I not supposed to pay you first?"

"No… Yes… It's the same thing…"

Castle smiled at the flustered boy and reached for his wallet. The $15 that Julie had given him wasn't enough. Peter deserved a handsome tip. He put the two bills in his wallet and instead fished out a $20 bill.

"Here you go… Keep the change."

Peter stared at the money. That was almost $10 in tip. Today was indeed a lucky day!

When Castle returned to the bedroom, the two women were sitting on the bed. Castle didn't know that Kate was capable of jumping through the hoops of formality so quickly… It had taken her years with Castle… but then, Castle wasn't a nineteen year old girl with a dead mother.

"Hey Castle, what took you so long? Did you travel to Italy for the pizza?"

"No, Beckett. Just met one of my kind at the door."

"You met a sugar high kid at the door?" Kate raised an eyebrow.

Castle shook his head in mock exasperation.

Julie watched them with an amused expression. "I can see what you meant earlier, detective," she said at last.

Castle cast a questioning glance at Kate who shrugged.

After they had finished their food, the duo stood up. "We had a good time, Julie."

"Me too, detective. Thanks to you, I feel much better than I was feeling before."

They smiled and started towards the door. Julie followed them to see them off.

"Detective, I'll make it a point to read the books that you suggested…" She looked over at Castle and smiled.

"Sure, Julie… and remember what I said earlier… don't hesitate to call."

As soon as they reached their car, Castle pulled Kate into a deep kiss.

"Castle, behave!" Kate squeaked. _Kate Beckett squeaked._

"It was either this or kissing in front of Julie… I didn't want to scar that girl forever." Castle's flair for drama was making itself known yet again.

Kate just smiled.

_She's softening up to me,_ Castle thought happily. If this had happened a few years ago, chances were Castle wouldn't walk out of it with intact body parts. _So much had changed…_

"So, detective, I hear that you suggested the young lady a few books to read."

"That's right, Mr. Castle."

"May I know what you suggested?"

"Oh, Mr. Castle, I don't think my suggestion is of interest to a literary stalwart like you." _Two could play this game._

Castle threw a lopsided grin at her. "Stalwart, huh?"

Kate said nothing but entered the car. However, Castle clearly saw the corners of her lips curling upwards.

Castle entered the car himself. "So, did the stalwart figure in your esteemed suggestion?"

"Boy, are you narcissistic!"

"You love me anyway."

"And you're smug!"

"Anyway, did I figure in your suggestion?"

"Maybe."

"Come on, Kate… tell me… stroke my ego! You know you want to…"

"Are you sure you want me to stroke_ just_ your _ego_?_" _There was something in her tone that drove him crazy. Suddenly Castle was thankful that he wasn't the one driving.

Kate waited for a moment and then smirked, "Didn't think so."

_Castle could be so easy at times…_

(….)

Tony Martinez was waiting in a holding cell. He was soon supposed to be transferred to prison.

He was almost trembling in anxiety. As he sat on the concrete bench, he kept bouncing his legs. His hands were shaking. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He knew what he was being charged with. He knew there was a heap of evidence tying him to the crime. _This did not look good… not at all._

"Help me, God! _Ayúdame, Dios ... Por favor, ayúdame_." He muttered to himself.

This wouldn't be Tony's first time in prison. But this time, it was indeed ironic…. This time, Tony had an explanation for everything.

This time Tony had _not_ lied to the cops.

_A/N: Okay, three things that I want to tell you:_

_1. If you think this is a filler chapter, let me tell you, it is not. Nothing much happens here but something happens in this chapter that will change everything, as far as the case is concerned. What do you think it is? Let me hear your guesses! ;)_

_2. Spanish is not one of the five languages I speak (Yeah, I'm bragging a little… so what? :P) All the Spanish words are the work of Google translator. So if there's any mistake or if it doesn't make sense… you know why…_

_3. I've absolutely no idea about pizza prices in New York. I did a bit of Google search. A wide variety of results showed up… I kinda guess $15 should cover the cost and tip… I may be way off the mark… Excuse me if I'm wrong._

_On a separate note, how awesome was "Demons"? Although I was kinda disappointed with whom the killer turned to be. The plot raised a few unanswered questions in my mind… But Caskett was epic. Stana's smile always floors me and in this episode she actually laughed… I had such a huge smile on my face that people thought I'd gone crazy! Whatever!_

_And have you listened to "THE SOUNDCLIP" on tumblr? I was laughing so hard! The writers are so famous for foreshadowing… I hope THAT is some kind of foreshadowing as well ;)_

_Okay, I've ranted enough. Thanks to all of you who are reading this and leaving reviews. Also, a few of you are leaving messages and comments on my facebook and twitter. Thanks to all of you._

_Oh yeah, Happy Diwali to all the Indian/Hindu readers and also, everyone else. For those who don't know what Diwali is, it is a festival of lights. We decorate our homes with lights and celebrate with fireworks and crackers… basically it's the concept of warding off the darkness with lights. It symbolizes the triumph of the good over the evil. So, Happy Diwali to all of you… even those who didn't know what Diwali is… 'coz you don't need to believe in a specific religion to wish the darkness away from your life :) _

_**Disclaimer: If I were the writer, someone else would have been the murderer in "Demons." Yeah, I'm still pissed… Don't ask me why. (It didn't make sense, dude. Like, how did the killer know… whatever, I don't wanna give spoilers.) Anyway, it was still an awesome episode in ALL other ways, so yeah… That makes up for everything :) **_


	7. Chapter 7

_It was almost evening. The sun was melting away into nothingness behind the tall skyline. The last rays of light sneaked into the room to bid farewell for the day. A figure sat on the couch, nursing a cold beer. The light and shade painted a mysterious pattern across the room, reminding the person of that dark alley where the bitch had finally been killed… where justice had finally been served._

_It had gone down a lot better than expected._

_There had been a perfect patsy readily implanting his own fingerprints all over the place. Really, it wasn't the killer's fault that the ass had been arrested. _

_And yeah, Detective Becket was a blind woman who couldn't see what was right in front of her all the time. _

_The killer let out a satisfied sigh._

_Fortune had been kind, at last…_

(_…._)

"Come on, Kate. Try it… It's going to be fun!"

"No!"

"Please? For me?"

"I'm _not _doing this… not even for your satisfaction."

"_My satisfaction_? It's going to be fun for both of us."

"Don't make me do this, Castle."

"Come on, you should experiment…"

"Experiment on such stuff? No…"

"Just take it in your hand and feel it… You might even like it…"

"Castle, I said no."

"Don't be so uptight."

"Tell me to do anything other than this weird stuff and you wouldn't find me uptight." Kate's voice was stern.

Castle's whiny voice rose. "Come on, at least touch it… once…"

They stopped when a knock sounded on the door.

"Umm… guys… just wanted to let you know that I can hear you from the hall." Alexis stammered from the other side of the door.

Kate glared at Castle. Castle first looked confused and then his eyes widened. He blushed. _Blushed._

"Uh… Alexis? Why don't you come in?"

"Are you sure?" Alexis' voice was unsure.

"Sure, pumpkin."

There was a moment of silence before the door cracked open and Alexis peeked in, hesitantly.

"Come in, Alexis." Kate encouraged.

Alexis entered and took in the scene in front of her. "Oh…."

Kate was standing near the closet and Castle was sitting on the edge of the bed. He had some sort of a dark costume in his hand and his arm was still outstretched in an invitation for her to 'touch it'.

Alexis blushed furiously. "Uh… okay guys… just wanted you to know that… that I've finished decorating. Guests should start arriving soon… Maybe you guys should get dressed… in costumes, I mean…"

"Okay, Alexis. We'll soon be ready." Kate replied awkwardly.

"Hey pumpkin, do you think Kate should dress as Quorra?"

Alexis thought for a second. "Let me guess, you're Sam Flynn?"

"For the evening, yeah."

Kate interrupted. "Castle, Sam Flynn was twenty seven! How old are you? And I'm not dressing in Tron Legacy costumes… and we're _not_ dressing as a couple."

"Why not? We _are _a couple, right?"

"Yeah but this is so…. mushy… and it's not even Halloween!"

Alexis had recovered her ability to form coherent sentences. "Kate, you don't have to wear it if you don't want to but… I think it'd be really awesome if you did."

"You think?" Kate was eying Alexis.

"Yeah, I mean, it's not necessarily mushy… and it's kinda appropriate for you two."

"Really?" Castle asked with a broad smile on his face.

"Yeah, Sam Flynn entering the grid in search of his father; Quorra helping a clueless Sam… it's so adventurous!" Alexis exclaimed. The initial discomfort had been long forgotten.

"And don't forget Sam saved Quorra's life." Kate was smiling. She turned to Rick.

Rick was looking at Kate, the emotions in his eyes were unreadable. It made Kate's heart flutter. She just wanted to close the distance between them and…

But Alexis was standing right in front of them.

Castle didn't know what to say… Castle often boasted that he'd saved Kate's life, that he had pushed her away from a bullet countless times… that his theories had saved Kate and many others more than once. But after the conversation they had that evening, the thought of himself saving Kate didn't bring him the fierce pride anymore… It brought to him bittersweet feelings. It gave him a sense of fulfillment tinged with a hint of regret. He couldn't explain all the feelings that he was feeling… he couldn't even name some of them. They coursed through his veins and gripped his heart in a loving yet too tight grip.

"What, Castle?" Kate was looking at him curiously. Alexis was staring at her father too.

Castle needed to break the silence. "You always amaze me, Katherine Beckett. You've actually watched Tron Legacy and here you are with my daughter, drawing parallels between the movie and real life. Who could've imagined?"

Kate and Castle stared at each other for a moment, saying nothing.

"Okay guys, I should go now and get ready… Kate, it'd be great if you dressed as Quorra. Tron costumes are really cool!"

"Okay, Alexis." Kate called out after her.

"Huh, you don't listen to me but you listen to my daughter?"

"Shouldn't you be happy for that?" Kate countered.

Rick got up from the bed to stand behind Kate. His arms slid around her slim waist. "I'm happy, Katherine Beckett. You make me so happy…"

"Really?"

"Yeah… The day you decided that I'm worthy of you… My first thought was, I could now die a happy man."

Kate turned around and kissed Castle with a sudden fierceness. "Don't even think about it, Rick… don't even think about dying… You're stuck with me for a long time."

"Yes," Rick agreed. "Hopefully, for a very very long time…"

(….)

When "Sam Flynn" and "Quorra" walked out into the living room, they were speechless. Alexis had decorated the room wonderfully. The ceiling looked like the sky at night, crystal black and studded with stars. There were bright, glowing orbs around them… the planets. Suddenly, they were walking through the Universe.

"Wow, Castle, this is really beautiful!" Kate exclaimed in a breathy voice. _Alexis surely had an eye for beautiful decoration._

"Yeah, we're walking through the Milky Way! This is cool!"

They walked up to the centre of the room where the 'sun' was supposed to be… There was a flame shaped piece of novelty sitting on the floor. It looked like a frozen flame.

"And look, there's Darth Vader… What's he doing in our galaxy? Should I bring out my lightsaber?" Castle wondered with a seriousness that almost cracked Kate up.

"I don't think that's necessary. Our Darth Vader is busy making out with… uh… that's Silver Surfer, I guess!"

"Ooh, that's an interesting crossover… Darth Vader and Silver Surfer choose Planet Earth for their rendezvous! Maybe not everything's wrong with our planet!"

"Do you realize that our conversation isn't making any sense?"

"Who cares?"

Suddenly two young girls appeared in front of them.

"Mr. Castle! Hi!" One of them let out a high pitched squeal.

"Oh God!" Castle and Kate muttered at the same time.

"I'm Lisa!" The girl introduced herself and offered Castle her hand. She was unaware of Kate's existence. Kate wondered if it was on purpose… When a young girl stood in front of her crush, the world ceased to exist after all. She rolled her eyes.

"Hi Lisa."Castle shook her hand.

"You look great in this form fitting costume… The suits you wear don't do your body any justice." Lisa hadn't let go of Castle's hand and now she squeezed him almost obscenely.

Castle was flustered. She was supposed to be Alexis' friend.

"Uh, so… you're my daughter's friend…" Castle couldn't think of any other subtle way to remind Lisa of the fact.

"That's right! I've always been your huge fan… In fact, I often dream about you. When I came to know that Alexis is your daughter, I _had _to be her friend. I knew this opportunity would come!"

Castle was getting more uncomfortable by the minute. Lisa was standing too close to him and she was wearing too little clothes… Somehow, the fact that she was the same age as his daughter made it even more disgusting for him. He looked at Beckett with pleading eyes.

"Where's Joe, by the way?" Kate cut in. Her voice was intimidating. It's not that she loved barging in conversations where her existence was barely acknowledged. But Alexis had trusted her to keep Lisa at bay… and watching a girl hit on _her man _irritated her.

"Joe, who?" Lisa replied, not taking her eyes off Castle.

"Your boyfriend." Kate replied coolly.

Lisa glanced at Kate for a moment. "He's here somewhere. Who're you?" She was clearly annoyed that Kate had mentioned her boyfriend in front of Castle.

"I'm Kate."

Lisa looked at her again as if to say, "Kate, Who?"

Castle jumped in. "She's my girlfriend… and a NYPD detective. Now if you'll excuse us…" They walked off, leaving the speechless girl behind.

"Keep that up, Castle and I'll need a lot of drinks." Kate muttered.

"Not that I don't want you to get drunk but what did I do?"

"You want me to get drunk?" Kate was surprised.

"Of course! Drunken Beckett is wild Beckett!" He was teasing her.

She smacked his arm while trying to keep a straight face. Patchy memories from _the night_ at The Old Haunt flashed in her brain and she felt herself heat up…

_It was a day before they had started 'dating'. They had closed a difficult case early and gone to The Old Haunt for a drink. After a couple of hours, Ryan had gone home to Jenny and Esposito had left with him. Kate was sitting at the bar with Rick. Alcohol was coursing through her system and she was pleasantly buzzed. She had enough sense in her to know that she should have left too. But she didn't. She_ _didn't want to go back to her cold apartment yet… not when the warm man was sitting right next to her. She knew that she would make a mistake any moment but she didn't care. She was not sure what was right and what was wrong. She didn't know which was more wrong- giving in to her desires or not giving in. She was tired of the slow dance and at that moment, she didn't care. She wanted Rick. She needed Rick._

_She didn't remember much after that. All she remembered was how they had made out like horny teenagers in his basement office. She remembered how Rick had been a gentleman even then… how he had wanted to wait until she was sober. She remembered how she had drawn his hands and placed them on her body. She remembered the wild look in his dark blue eyes. She remembered the exact moment when the last thread of Rick's self control had snapped._

_She didn't remember everything but she remembered enough. She remembered being in a cab with Rick on the way back to her apartment, his warm hands all over her. She remembered her drunken brain wondering if she'd regret it the next morning. She remembered the wild passion that they both experienced as soon as they opened the door. _

_She remembered waking up next morning with Rick asleep almost on top of her and a wide smile on her face. That was the moment she had realized that she wouldn't mind waking up like this every morning for the rest of her life._

"Thinking of that night, huh?" Rick whispered in her ears. She felt his breath on her ear and shivered. She nodded, unable to trust her voice. "I'd love to think about that too but I can't take the risk… not when I'm wearing spandex." He grinned.

The spell was broken when someone squealed after spotting him in the room.

She shot a smoldering look at him. "Looks like you'll keep getting hit on tonight, big daddy! Let's get a drink!"

When Kate called him 'daddy', he almost had a heart attack. There was something absolutely nasty about the way she drew out the word that drove him crazy. "It's so hot in here!"

Kate smirked and led the way.

"Where's Alexis, by the way?"

"Don't worry, Castle. She'll not get lost in her own home."

"I wonder what she'll dress up as… I look at these girls and can't help but fear the worst! Did she tell you anything?"

"_Patience, Sam Flynn. All of your questions will be answered soon,"_

"You just quoted Quorra! That was so hot!"

The door bell rang and someone opened the door. Kate and Castle came out just in time to see the detective duo dressed in ridiculous costumes. Ryan was wearing a glow mask similar to the killer in _Scream _and Esposito was wearing a fur coat that glowed.

"Hey guys! Tron couple! Cool!"

"Hi Ghostface! Hi… er…Caveman!" Beckett said in the way of greeting. Ryan snickered.

"Caveman, huh? And I thought ladies are fascinated by fur coats." Esposito glared

"Yes, they are… my mother would've absolutely loved you. It's a pity she's missing this!" Castle sighed dramatically. "Nice blood, Ghostface!" He pointed to the glowing fake blood that stuck to the black gown Ryan was wearing.

"Don't touch it, Castle. It might be his piss. Urine glows in black light." Esposito suggested too seriously.

Castle withdrew his hand like ha had been shocked.

"Come on guys, you believe the Encino Man here?" Ryan whined.

"So it's not piss…"

"It could still be any of his other body fluids! God knows what he did with that gown…" Esposito trailed off suggestively.

"Okay guys, you know what, I'm out of here. I'm going to find Alexis." Kate retreated. She had heard enough crude jokes between the men during her days in the Academy and on service. She didn't need to hear some more when she was relaxing.

"So, where's little Castle?"

"She's somewhere in here, I guess."

"What's she wearing?"

"I don't know yet. It's a secret."

"Hmm… Maybe she'll wear a glow-wrap." Ryan mused.

"Or a glow-bikini." Esposito joined him.

"Glow-sarong?"

"Glow-paint…"

Castle interrupted their speculation with vigor. "Whoa, whoa, whoa… boys, this is my daughter you're talking about! She'll be wearing something perfectly appropriate, I'm sure."

"Look around you, Castle. What's appropriate?"

Castle looked around, noticing the scantily clad teens and tweens and his throat dried.

"Five bucks say little Castle will be wearing something revealing. What do you say, Castle?"

"Betting on my daughter's costume? No! Absolutely not!"

"Come on, Castle? Chicken?"

Castle hesitated briefly before stepping right into the trap. "Alright, game on!"

After a while, Alexis came into view. She smiled brightly at her father and his friends from the Precinct. She was wearing a glow-skeleton, the oldest glow costume in the book. Castle breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Pay up, bro!"

Castle whipped his head around. "What! I won the bet!"

"Come on bro, she's wearing a skeleton. Can anything be more _bare _than a skeleton?" Esposito and Ryan grinned at their own silly jokes. Esposito slapped Castle's arm and held out a palm.

"I leave you guys alone for two minutes and you start betting already?" Kate came up to them. "Castle, thank me… I've brought your wallet."

"How did you know?"

"Like you'll pass up the opportunity to bet on anything and everything in this room? I know you like the back of my hand, Castle and you know it!"

"So whipped, bro!" Ryan muttered when Castle smiled at her.

"You've stalled enough… Pay up!" Esposito pretended to rough up Castle.

"Okay, okay! But remember guys, _you can't steal something that's designed to be given away for free." _

"Dude, did you just quote Tron? You're pathetic!" Esposito pretended to gag.

"And that didn't make much sense, either." Ryan added thoughtfully.

"Guys, are you enjoying yourselves?" Alexis came forward, acting like a perfect host.

"Yeah, Alexis! We are! You should've told us that Halloween has come early this year."

"Yeah, I didn't think my friends would take it this seriously!"

"Where's Ashley?" Ryan asked. He had seen the teenage boy in the Precinct a couple of times before and he kinda liked him.

"Well, he is…." Alexis scanned through the guests before spotting him, "... right there." She pointed at him.

They took in Ashley's costume. "Sweetheart, are you sure you want to date a glowing Lord Voldemort?"

"Positive, Dad." Alexis nodded and smiled before disappearing among guests.

Castle suddenly realized that his baby girl had just arranged a party all by herself and it was turning out to be a success. His little girl was now a host! He was suddenly awestruck.

"Castle is silent! That's new!" Beckett smirked from their side.

"Of course I am… My daughter just agreed to date Voldemort!" He didn't need to tell them his sob story about the baby bird growing up and leaving the nest.

"And Voldemort agreed to date a skeleton!" Ryan commented.

"What's new in that? Isn't every teenage girl a skeleton these days?"

"Okay guys, keep up this conversation and my brain might kill itself. I'm leaving you now!" Kate started to walk away.

"No problem! We're not here for you, boss. We're here for little Castle and this!" Esposito flattened the $5 bill that was still in his hand and held it up for Kate to see. Suddenly something caught his eye and his smirk faltered. "Castle, bro, what's this? Where did you get this bill?"

"Why? Is it counterfeit or something?" Castle was quick enough to make the connection between bills and black lights.

"No but it's stained! What did you do with it?" There was indeed a large glowing patch on the paper.

"Nothing!" Castle felt like a school boy at the principal's office. "What would I do with it?"

"I don't know, Castle… Maybe rich dudes like you use $5 bills as tissue paper." Ryan shrugged.

Beckett was silent. She was examining the bill closely. "That's a pretty big stain… and looks quite fresh. Where did you get it, Castle?"

Castle frowned. Suddenly he remembered something and he opened his wallet hastily and examined the notes inside. He looked at Beckett with confusion. "It was from Julie."

"Julie?"

"Yeah, remember she gave me two bills to pay for the pizza?"

"How do you know it's the same bill as the one she gave you?"

"That's what I just checked! That was the only $5 in my wallet."

"Let me see the rest of your money." Castle marveled at how easily Kate could shift between personalities as required. It was nothing new though. He handed her the wad of bills.

Kate patiently held each of them against the black light. Only one other note had a stain. It was a $10.

"Looks like we've got stained prints on the ten." Ryan observed.

"We need to send these to the lab." Esposito declared.

Castle and Kate were dumbstruck.

"Kate, what does this mean?"

"It doesn't mean anything, Rick. We don't even know what that is… And we'll get a thousand prints on that bill, including mine and yours. It doesn't mean anything…" She turned to the boys. "Ryan, Esposito… I know Lanie is still on duty. Take these to her. We'll join you soon."

The boys did as they were told without a word. They knew better than to argue with Beckett.

Kate marched off to the bedroom to change. Castle followed her. He glanced at the clock. It was eight.

_This was going to be a long night._

_A/N: I was writing the party scene when I realized that I've a zero social life… I was actually having trouble imagining the scenes. My life is indeed pathetic!_

_I'm not quite happy with this chapter… Somehow, the characters didn't cooperate with me. I've edited and re-edited it at least twelve times. I could've stewed some more but my writing has a strange rule. If I don't get it right in the first three hours, I'll soon lose interest and suddenly the whole chapter will appear as a big blah to me. Now, when this chapter actually seems pointless to me, it could be actually pointless or it could be because I've been working on this for the last five hours. So you be the judge. If you don't like this, just don't hate me :/_

_Please review so that I can pick myself up and write the next chapter. I need it…_

_**Disclaimer: I complain about how off the story of 'Demons' was and the next day I write a crap chapter of my own… As they say, "Karma is a bitch… (only if you are)".**_


	8. Chapter 8

"Hey Beckett, got hold of Julie's case files." Ryan walked into the bullpen.

Kate was sitting at her desk, rubbing her temples. "And?"

"Four years ago, Julie Summers' name entered police records for the first time when she hit her classmate at the back of her head with a glass bottle. Reason? They had fought over lunch money. She was fifteen at that time. A juvie-court psychiatrist testified that she was mentally unstable. The court let her go on the condition that she had to undergo therapy."

"Julie had priors?" Castle asked incredulously.

"Yeah. Since then, she has stayed out of major trouble... But look at the therapist's notes." He handed over the papers to Beckett.

Kate's brows furrowed when her eyes fell on the notes. "So, Julie has been diagnosed with Psychotic Personality Disorder. The notes say that she is superficially charming, manipulative and a pathological liar…"

"That's obvious, isn't it? We didn't even suspect her…" Castle commented.

"It also lists lack of empathy and shallow behavioral responses…"

"That's why she was oddly calm, Kate… It had nothing to do with suicidal impulses…" He trailed off when he took in her facial expression. He immediately wanted to slap himself. _So much for being thoughtful…_

The desk phone rang.

"Beckett." She listened in for a few moments. "Got it. Thank you, Lanie."

She turned to the boys, "Lanie just confirmed that those were indeed blood stains... DNA matches with Johanna Summers'."

"And the prints?"

Kate was silent for a moment. When she spoke again, her voice was subdued. "They belong to Julie."

Ryan, who was watching them silently, felt the need to jump in. "The uniforms will bring in Julie soon… Why don't you take rest, Beckett? We can handle this if you want."

He immediately regretted his decision when Beckett looked up at him. "Are you suggesting that I should hand over this case to someone else?"

Ryan sputtered. Esposito, sensing trouble, came to his rescue. "Beckett, no one's saying that you can't do this. But…"

"There are no buts, Esposito. I'm doing this. I'll not back off until the case is closed. Now if you don't mind, just concentrate on your job. Please go over the evidence once more and see if we've missed anything."

Ryan and Esposito looked at each other. Though Detective Kate Beckett was a tough woman, she hardly spoke to her team harshly. It was something she almost never did. The last time she spoke like that was during that fateful case in which Lockwood escaped and Montgomery died.

"Okay." That's all they said before they left.

When Castle returned from the break room with two mugs of steaming coffee twenty minutes later, Kate was still sitting at her desk. Her elbows rested on the desk and her head was in her hands. From the angle, Castle couldn't see if her eyes were open or closed. She was absolutely still. The only movement was that of her breathing.

He sighed. He didn't know what to do. He knew from the beginning that this case would leave Kate in a mess but even his brilliant imagination had failed to stumble over the possibility of the daughter being her mother's killer. He really couldn't explain why he hadn't thought of it earlier. Maybe because Kate had convinced him that this case was like a mirror to her… That she was looking at her own reflection…

"Here you go," Rick placed her coffee mug in front of her.

She didn't respond.

He dearly wished he could read her thoughts… This was one of those rare occasions when he had no idea about what she was thinking.

"Kate, look at me."

He was surprised when Kate listened to him. She gave in. She looked at him. Her beautiful, expressive eyes usually shone green with a drop of honey added in it. Not today… Her eyes looked pale green and dead. Castle could've been looking at marble eyes and he wouldn't know the difference. There was no fight, no defiance or anger… there was no despair, no sorrow either… there was no life in those eyes.

"What are you thinking, Kate?" He didn't care if Kate yelled at him. He wouldn't mind if Kate threw her computer at him. He just needed her back…

"Nothing."

"Kate, it's not your fault, you know."

"Yeah, right."

"Kate, you couldn't have known…"

"I could've known, Castle. I would've known if I were looking… if I were not busy wallowing in self pity."

"Kate…"

"Don't do this, Castle. I don't want to think of it yet… I don't want to think of the fact that we had pizza with the killer and that she decided to pay for the pizza with bills stained with her mother's blood. I just don't want to think of that yet…" She trailed off and clenched her jaws together tightly.

"Yo Beckett, Julie Summers is here. Interrogation 2."

Beckett stood up from her chair. "Are you coming, Castle?"

"Sure."

(…..)

"Why am I here, Detective? I thought the case was over." Julie's eyes were wide and innocent.

"Julie, let me ask you a few things I should've asked before. Where were you at the time of your mother's murder?"

"Well… as I said earlier, I got off work at six. I was wandering on the streets."

"Yeah, about that, we called your manager. She confirms that you left work at five that day… you told them you had a family emergency."

"Uh…."

"Yes?"

Julie was silent for a whole minute. She was looking down at the table.

"Julie?"

Julie looked up at Detective Beckett. She was biting her lower lip. "I'm trying to remember, Kate. I'm really trying… I told you about my memory…"

"Cut it, Julie. We have read your therapist's notes. We know you've no problem with your memory."

"My therapist? Roberts? What does _he _know about me?" There was a sudden transformation in her face. The curious innocence was gone and in its place was anger.

"You're angry with your therapist… Is that why you once set fire to the couch in his waiting room two years ago?" Castle couldn't help but ask.

"I didn't."

Kate started again, "I'm not interested in that. Where were you after you left work?"

"I was wandering on the streets."

"For three and a half hours?"

"I guess. Anyway, I thought you got the man. You don't think that I killed my own mother do you?"

"Julie, remember the bills you gave Mr. Castle? They had blood stains on them… Your mother's blood."

"What? How?"

"You tell us."

"Oh my God, that's not possible… Mr. Castle must've got them from somewhere else."

Castle raised an eyebrow but didn't answer. He was observing Julie intently.

"Julie, we have your bloody prints from the bank notes. We didn't find your mother's purse at the scene. What did you do? Did you pick it up? Was it soaked in blood? Did you take the notes out of the bag and let them dry?"

"Detective! What are you suggesting? That I killed my mother?" Julie sounded horrified.

"I'm not suggesting anything. We've evidence."

"Fuck evidence, detective. I thought you'd understand me… You know how it feels to see your mother lying dead. You know how it feels to come back to an empty home. You know how it feels to look everywhere and be reminded of her in some way or the other. You think I did it?" Julie yelled.

_Manipulative bitch, _Castle thought. Julie had actually picked up the minute details of Kate's emotions from their previous conversation and now she was using it against Kate. Castle had read the therapist's report and he had researched about psychotic killers before for his books. People like Julie didn't experience emotions or feelings, with the probable exception of anger. But they're clever. They observed people around them and picked up the right expressions for every situation. Then it was all about putting the right expressions at the right situations, like fitting the pieces of a puzzle until they completed the entire emotional picture. They emoted without feeling anything.

Julie was playing with Kate. She knew she needed to appear sad, heartbroken and angry. She had discovered the detective's weak spot and now all she needed to do was to hit right there.

He gently placed his hand on her thigh. _Hold yourself together, Kate… _

Kate was leaning over the table menacingly, "Don't bring _my_ mother in the middle of this… I didn't kill my mother."

Julie smiled. "You might have. Who knows?"

_Come on, Kate… don't lose control… That's what she wants…_

Kate banged hard on the table between them but caught herself before she did anything else.

"What, Detective Beckett? You're speechless… Don't you need to ask me any more questions?"

Kate tried hard to control her erratic breathing. She needed to calm herself down. "As a matter of fact, I don't. Uniforms are searching your place right now. They'll find the murder weapon… even if they don't, they'll find your clothes and shoes… You think you've washed your mother's blood off them but the truth is we can still find traces… We even know what clothes you were wearing. We went over the surveillance footage once again and guess whom we saw entering the alley half an hour before your mother entered the alley? You."

Julie was sitting in front of her silently, her features set in stone.

"Julie, it's over. We know you lied to us. We have footage indicating your presence at the crime scene at the time of the murder. We already have evidence. I'm sure we will find your mom's purse at your house… And your clothes… We could even find the gun. So you're right, we've no more questions to ask. Let's go, Castle." Kate stood up to leave the room.

"Tell me, Julie," Castle started, "when your mom moved in with her new boyfriend within a year after your father's death, how did you feel?"

Kate turned around and gave Castle an impatient look but didn't say anything. Over the years she had learnt that Castle's seemingly mindless conversations sometimes had a purpose.

"I felt bad."

"Bad? You just felt bad? You should've been furious… Didn't it shock you?" Castle sounded genuinely interested.

"No. Mom was dating Zack even when Dad was alive… So no, it didn't shock me."

"You're saying your mom cheated on your dad? That's awful." Kate knew what Castle was doing. All she needed to do was to wait…

"Not as awful as her killing my dad."

"What do you mean?" Kate was walking back to her chair.

"My mother killed my dad seven years ago."

"That's not possible… Your dad's death was ruled as accidental."

"Yeah, that's what they thought… what I saw was different."

"What did you see?"

"I was twelve at that time. My dad was in the garage, servicing our car. I was outside, enjoying the sun. Suddenly, I heard my dad scream and ran inside. The car had slipped from the lift and slid on my dad. He was screaming for help." Julie's eyes were distant, like she was watching it happen right then. "I froze. I didn't know what to do. I called out to my mom. She came in… She just stood there, watching him… He begged for help and my mom just watched. When dad finally fell silent, she turned around and walked out of the room."

They sat there in silence for a whole minute.

"Why didn't you tell it to the cops?"

"I was scared… I was very scared. I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to end up in CPS."

"So why did you kill her now, after all these years?" Castle's voice was hushed.

"I had to… She was treating me like shit. She was a whore. She screwed almost every man in this goddamn city… She moved in with a jackass… She was even blackmailing people she slept with for money. She thought it was her secret but it wasn't… I knew it all… She never spoke to me properly… She was always busy… busy working or busy screwing… She took me to that asshole therapist, that smug know-it-all who thought that he could cure me; "take care of the situation" as he called it. Who was he to mend the situation?" A cold fury had engulfed Julie.

"But that's not all, something else happened recently… Something that made you even more angry with your mother." In cases like these, there always had to be a trigger… something that made Julie give in to her urges to kill.

"She hated Matt."

"Your boyfriend?"

"No, my dog… I found him on the sidewalk one day. I wanted to keep him. Mom wouldn't let me… She can do whatever she wants. She can kill my dad and then fuck her way out of trouble, she can fuck a loser who made life hell, she can fuck her colleagues, her boss, whoever she met, basically anyone with a dick. She can neglect her own daughter… avoid her like she's diseased or something… then I just want to keep a dog and all hell breaks loose… I'm just not allowed to do what I want!"

"You killed your mom over keeping a pet?"

"Haven't you been listening, detective? That bitch deserved to die." There was something in her voice that gave them chills.

Castle was the one who recovered first. "How did you kill her?"

Julie was distracted… she was in a different world. Castle briefly wondered if she realized that she had just confessed.

"Well, it went down a lot better than I had planned. I hadn't planned things out so perfectly… After Martinez showed up at our doorstep and yelled at her, I figured now would be the best time to kill her. A lot of people hated her anyway. So that evening, I went to her office with a gun under my jacket. Now when I think back, I hadn't planned how to get out after killing her… Silly me! Anyway, when I was about to enter the building, I saw Tony going in with a crowbar in hand. I walked away… But I had a solid plan. I hoped Tony would kill her. In case he didn't, I'd shoot her later on the street and run off… People would think it was Tony. I even canvassed the street for surveillance cameras so that I could avoid them… I made elaborate plans." Julie suddenly chuckled, "Of course, that was unnecessary."

Kate was struggling between disgust and horror. "Why?"

"I was in the alley, fitting the silencer to the gun. Suddenly I heard someone running in. It almost frightened me. I hid myself in a corner. And then I saw her… She was running towards me… So I jumped out… and shot her. I went home, changed my dress and came back." She described casually like describing a camping trip.

"And the crowbar?"

"Oh, that I found lying in the alley… Looking back, it was such a wonderful coincidence… In fact, the crowbar bruise did lead you to Tony, didn't it?"

"Why did you pick up her purse?"

"All these years, whenever I asked for money, she'd say we didn't have any… I took her purse as she lay there… The bitch could do nothing as I walked off with her money." She had a smug smile on her face.

"As a matter of fact, taking her money was your undoing," Castle pointed out… "If you hadn't used that money, we'd have never caught you."

Julie's demeanor changed once again. She suddenly seemed to snap out of her trance and she looked at them with wide eyes. "I just confessed, didn't I?"

(…)

"The daughter, huh? Even now, it seems so unreal."

"Well…" Castle started, "They say charity begins at home. For a psycho, so does murder."

Kate sighed.

"Do you think she was telling the truth about her dad?" Castle asked. He was stirring the coffee he was making for Kate.

Kate was standing next to the coffee maker, leaning back on the counter. She was in better shape than before although she wasn't speaking much. She looked thoughtful. "I don't know, Castle. The problem with unstable suspects is that you don't know when they are lying and they're telling the truth."

"So are you going to look into that case?"

"What's the use? Johanna is dead. Even if she indeed killed her husband, she got the death penalty for it. That's something the Court wouldn't sentence her to, if she was alive."

"Hmm…"

Castle handed her the mug. Kate took it in her hand and stared at the swirling brown liquid inside.

"What're you thinking?"

"Do you know the first lesson we learnt at the Academy? We're taught that the first person to see a person dead is the last person to see him alive, unless proved otherwise. We didn't even inform Julie… She came in by herself, she identified the body… And I didn't even ask for her alibi? I didn't pull her records. I didn't confirm her story… I was so busy to bring her justice that I didn't even consider her as a suspect. I thought she was my _reflection._" She let out a self depreciating chuckle.

"It wasn't possible for you to know she was the killer… You saw a girl who had just lost her mother. You saw your reflection, alright… A distorted reflection." He paused. "The case did mirror your mom's case."

Kate looked at Rick. Her eyes were suspiciously shiny.

"Yes, it _was _a mirror, Castle… But I didn't look into it. I saw in the mirror what I wanted to see."

_A/N: Case is closed. Story hasn't ended yet._

_Okay, before you start telling me how unreal this is, let me tell you three things:_

_1._ _It is possible to track down a criminal from stains on a dollar bill. If you don't agree, just Google "Bloodstained Dollar". The result contains reports of a true crime where the culprit was caught from a stain on a dollar._

_2. Now if you think a daughter can't kill her mother, think again or Google again. You'll find reports where a 15 year old shot her soldier mother at her own home with her mother's service weapon... Or, where a 20 year old daughter bashed in her mother's skull with a hammer. _

_3. If you think this plot is too unbelievable, let me tell you, this plot is almost from a true story… Well, part of it is… The most unbelievable part (the explanation of how Tony became the patsy and how everything coincided) is actually from a real life case. I was an Internee in the Department of Psychiatry when this happened. We followed the case first hand and my senior had to go to the court to testify. Well, truth is stranger than fiction._

_I'm quite satisfied with this chapter. Let me know what you think. _

_Thank you for your constructive criticism on the last chapter. I needed it :) _

_**Disclaimer: Why do I need to write these?**_


	9. Chapter 9

Castle didn't know what woke him up from sleep.

He looked at the bedside clock and groaned. He had slept for only two hours. It was still dark outside.

Rick and Kate had returned home at one in the morning. They had literally collapsed on the bed and had fallen asleep instantly… or at least, Rick had. He turned on his side to look at Kate. She was gone.

_Of course… _

Castle sighed. He didn't want to leave his bed. He was too tired. But he needed to make sure that Kate was alright. He knew Kate too well to believe her poker face. He knew she was blaming herself for everything. She thought she had failed as a detective… But he suspected there was something else too. Maybe, somewhere deep within herself, she had hoped to taste closure through her 'reflection'. She had hoped to experience a fraction of the satisfaction she often brought to others but never got herself. She had relived the worst moments of life through Julie… Maybe, she had also wanted to live through her the moments she always yearned for. It didn't happen. The case boomeranged on her. Her hopes sank, taking her down with them.

He got up and rubbed his eyes. He didn't know what to tell her, how to ease her pain. He knew that she was hurt… He didn't know how to heal her wounds. He was so helpless…

He walked out of his bedroom and into the living room. His eyes had already adjusted to the darkness. He saw her.

She was on the couch, hugging her knees and her head was resting between them. She was wearing Castle's shirt and her unruly dark hair flowed over her shoulders.

"Hey."

Kate didn't look up. "Hi."

"Couldn't sleep?"

Kate shook her head.

"Want to talk?"

She was silent. Castle waited.

"You know…" She started, her voice barely audible. "I can't believe I suggested Julie to read your books."

"What's wrong with that?" Castle asked, sitting down beside her.

"I tried to share something special with her… and all this time, she must have been laughing at me thinking how stupid I was."

"Kate, will you please listen to me?"

She turned her head and looked at him.

"Kate, you're not stupid. Yes, you made a mistake when you didn't think of her as a suspect… we all did. That's not important. We corrected our mistake. That's the important point. You're an amazing human being, Kate. You feel for the victims' families. You care for them. You cared for Julie. You tried to comfort her. If she thinks you're stupid for doing everything you did for her, it's her loss."

Kate sighed. Castle scooted over to put an arm around her shoulders.

"Rick, I've been thinking about my mom's case…"

"Hmm…"

"I don't think I'm ready to solve it yet."

Castle couldn't believe what he was hearing. A part of him rejoiced at the prospect of relief… relief from the constant threats to Kate's life, from the constant worry, the constant guilt. But the rest of him was worried. Kate Beckett was nothing if not a fighter. Whenever she was pushed to the corner, she always pushed back harder. Why was she giving up now? It was so unlike Kate Beckett.

"Are you sure, Kate?"

"Castle, this made me realize where I'm going wrong with my mom's case, why I couldn't solve her murder in all these years... Whenever anything related to my mom's case comes up, I… I just lose it. This case opened my eyes."

"Kate, it's natural…"

"I know, Rick. I know it's natural… There's a reason why cops are not allowed to investigate personal cases. I always thought I could do it but… I think I overestimated myself."

Castle was silent. Kate was right. She indeed threw her reasoning out through the window whenever her mother's case came up. He knew how stubborn she could be. He remembered how she hadn't hesitated to kick him out of her apartment the last time they had fought over it. He remembered how she had cut him off from her life. He had seen Kate struggling to get out of his hold and run back inside the hangar when Montgomery was fighting to save her life. He knew how she had dived back into her mother's case after barely surviving a gunshot to the chest. Kate Beckett could and would often ram through logic and facts like an outraged bull… Her mother's case was the proverbial red cape.

And now, she had suddenly decided not to pursue her mother's case anymore. Was it really a good sign?

"Are you sure you can stop looking into it?"

"I did stop once, didn't I?"

Yes, she did. She did, indeed… _until he pulled her back into the mess in his own selfish quest for 'the story'._

"Do you know why I stopped looking into her murder the first time? Because my therapist helped me realize that I was too wounded… too hurt… to do anything useful about it… When I started again, I thought that I had healed, that I was stronger… I was wrong."

"Kate, it's okay to hurt… It's okay to be wounded… Just let me in… Just let me help you. You may not need my help but I need to help you."

"I need your help, you idiot… I need you." She spoke against his neck.

"I'll always be there for you… You know that, right?"

Kate buried her face in his shirt and nodded. He didn't need to see her face to know that she was crying. "I don't deserve you."

"Katherine Beckett, never say that!"

"It's the truth, Rick. I've been trying to be a better person for you for a long time now… but I haven't been trying hard enough."

"Hey, is that why you're giving this up? Because if it's so…"

"No. I'm not giving this up, Rick… It's just…" She stopped and let out a frustrated sigh. She was searching for the right words to express herself but they weren't coming to her. She tried again, "The night we got this case, I dreamed that I was running through a maze… My mom was calling out my name and I wanted to reach her but I kept hitting dead ends…"

"Oh, Kate!"

"Rick, I don't want my life to be that maze. I don't want to look back and think that I missed out on the best moments of my life with you because I was busy running…"

He tightened his arm around her.

"That's why I'm stopping… but I'm not giving up… I still hope that one day, I'll be able to handle it objectively… I'll heal enough to solve her murder. I still hope to bring her killers to justice someday… Just not now… Just not today… Today I want to live my life with you."

"Is that enough?"

"For now, yes… That's enough."

"But will you be happy?"

"Yes, Rick. I'll be happy… As long as you're with me… You'll be there for me, right?"

Castle's voice was choked.

"Always, Kate… Always."

They sat in the dark, hugging each other. Life was never supposed to be easy. Life wasn't easy. There would always be dark clouds casting shadows… but that didn't mean the sun wouldn't peek out once in a while.

They'd worry about the troubles in life when the troubles showed up. Now was not the time… the dark clouds over their lives had just parted.

It was time to enjoy the sunshine.

_A/N: What do you think? _

_So… This is THE END. I'm waiting for "Cops and Robbers" eagerly. I just hope Kate's "wall" gets blasted away along with the bank… As a CastleConfessions post put it on tumblr, I'd love to see Beckett run up to Castle when he comes out of the bank and kiss him… (Well, personally I'm not that hopeful about a kiss but hugging will work too!) Maybe, I'll get new story ideas… I'm already plotting my next murder ;)_

_I always keep all the email notifications on my stories… All review alerts, story alerts, favorite story and author alerts… Today, they crossed 1000. I started posting my works here on 27__th__ July (I remember the date 'coz it's my dad's birthday)… So, while I may not be a smash, people are reading my stories… I'm lucky :) _

_I thank everyone who read this story and left me reviews. Some of you have been kind enough to send me messages on facebook and twitter or reblog the story link on tumblr. I just want you to know that you guys mean a lot to me…_

_So, that's it for now… I'll be back!_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle. This is a tribute to MilMar and the Castle cast and crew… Particularly Stana… because her smile lights up my world! **_


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